Colombia peace deal: Government and Farc reach new agreement

BBC - The Colombian government and the Farc rebel group have announced a new peace agreement, six weeks after the original deal was rejected in a popular vote.

Alvaro Uribe, a former president who led the "no" campaign, was involved in this round of negotiations intended to end 52 years of civil war.

The initial deal was deemed to be too favourable the left-wing rebels.

The new agreement will have to be approved by parliament, rather than being put directly to voters.

"We have reached a new final agreement to end the armed conflict, which incorporates changes, clarifications and some new contributions from various social groups," officials said in a joint statement.

The statement was read by diplomats from Cuba and Norway, the mediating countries, in the Cuban capital, Havana.

The previous deal was rejected by 50.2% of voters in a referendum held on 2 October.

Polls initially indicated that the agreement would be approved by a comfortable margin, but as the results came in it became clear that opposition to the agreement had been stronger than expected.

Colombia, Marxist rebels to sign accord ending 52-year war

(Reuters) - Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos and Marxist rebel leader Timochenko will use a pen made from a bullet on Monday to sign an agreement ending a half-century war that killed a quarter of a million people and made their nation a byword for violence.

After four years of talks in Havana, Santos, 65, and Timochenko, nom de guerre for 57-year-old revolutionary Rodrigo Londono, will shake hands on Colombian soil for the first time.

Some 2,500 foreign and local dignitaries were to attend the ceremony scheduled for 5 p.m. local time (1800 EST/2200 GMT) in the walled, colonial city of Cartagena.

The agreement to end Latin America's longest-running war will turn the FARC guerrillas into a political party fighting at the ballot box instead of the battlefield they have occupied since 1964.

"We are going to sign with a bullet-pen ... to illustrate the transition of bullets into education and future," said Santos, who staked his reputation on achieving peace.

Guests, who were asked to wear white, include United Nations head Ban Ki-moon, Cuban President Raul Castro and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry.

"This step that your country is going to take is a giant step," Kerry said during a visit to a training center for conflict victims, former combatants and other young people.

"Anybody can pick up a gun, blow things up, hurt other people, but it doesn't take you anywhere," he said. " ... Peace is hard work."

Despite widespread relief at an end to the bloodshed and kidnappings of past decades, the deal has caused divisions in Latin America's fourth-biggest economy.

Influential former President Alvaro Uribe and others are angry that the accord allows rebels to enter parliament without serving any jail time.

Colombians will vote on Oct. 2 on whether to ratify the agreement, but polls show it will pass easily. Around Cartagena on Monday, huge billboards urged a "yes" vote.

FARC, which stands for the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, began as a peasant revolt, became a big player in the cocaine trade and at its strongest had 20,000 fighters. Now it must hand over weapons to the United Nations within 180 days.

Colombians are nervous over how the remaining 7,000 rebels will integrate into society, but most are optimistic peace will bring more benefits than problems.

Kerry praised Santos and pledged $390 million in U.S. funds to help implement the peace pact.

Colombia reaches historic pact with rebels

(USAToday) - MIAMI — The longest-running armed conflict in the Western Hemisphere is coming to a close as the Colombian government reached a historic peace accord with rebel leaders Wednesday in Havana.

Negotiators read out a joint statement in Cuba, which has hosted most of the talks, after the final round of negotiations between the leaders of the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, known as the FARC.

"The termination of armed confrontation signifies, most importantly, the end of the enormous suffering the conflict has caused," read the joint statement. "We do not want there to be one more victim in Colombia. The end of the conflict will open a new chapter in our history."

The two sides have battled for five decades in the remote corners of Colombia's jungles and mountains, leaving more than 220,000 Colombians dead, forcing 360,000 to flee the country and displacing about 6.7 million Colombians from their homes.

President Obama called Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos on Wednesday to congratulate him on the historic deal and to pledge U.S. support as the country navigates the difficult road of implementing the peace plan.

The peace accord still must be certified in a national referendum, which will ask voters to approve or reject the deal.

Adam Isacson, who has visited and studied Colombia for nearly 20 years for theWashington Office on Latin America, said Colombians already showed their approval of the peace talks when they re-elected Santos in the 2014 presidential election overÓscar Iván Zuluaga, an outspoken opponent of the negotiations.

"Santos was re-elected in a referendum on the peace process," he said. (FullText)