On the International Day of Peace, Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos celebrated at the United Nations in New York Wednesday his government’s peace deal with the FARC guerilla army bringing to a close the longest-running civil war in the Western Hemisphere. The bells of peace are ringing in Colombia and their echo is heard by all nations represented in this room, he told the Assembly on the second day of its annual general debate, citing the final accord reached in August between his Government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC-EP).
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“Today I have come to the United Nations to announce, with my full voice and heart, that the war in Colombia is over”, Santos said in an address to the General Assembly.
Santos and Timochenko are set to officially sign the peace deal on Monday, before Colombians head to the polls on October 2 to vote in a plebiscite on whether or not to accept the 297-page agreement.
“The weapons will be melted and turned into three monuments to peace – in NY and Cuba, which were the seats of dialogue, and another in Colombia”, Santos said.
These monuments will remind us that the bullets are behind us and the construction of a new and better country has begun, Santos said.
The more than 50 year conflict has killed an estimated 260,000 people and displaced millions.
He noted that drug trafficking has fuelled war in Colombia and around the world and FARC will now cooperate in combatting the scourge, ensuring great benefits for the environment.
“There is one fewer war on the planet”, Santos said, striking a bright note as the world body is torn by divisions on how to end the bloodshed in Syria.
Commended by United Nations chief Ban Ki Moon for his leadership and vision, Santos went on to say: “A Colombia where the resources that used to finance war will now be better geared towards education, health care and security for Colombians”.
The proximity of a new era of peace is cause for joy at the guerrillas’ 10th national conference in southern Colombia’s Yari Plains region, where even the highest-ranking guerrillas can be seen swaying to the music in nightly concerts.
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Here is the product of this work in which we all helped, and it is a contribution to world peace, Santos said during the ceremony, which took place ahead of a Security Council session to discuss the situation in the Middle East.
