Thursday, December 17th, 2015. Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos announced Tuesday that no later than March 2016 peace accord between the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia-People’s Army will be signed (FARC EP).
Since last September 23, Santos and top leader of the FARC, Rodrigo Londoño Echeverias, known by his nickname “Timochenko”; agreed to the Peace Dialogue held in Havana, Cuba, they said they would sign peace agreement in a period of approximately six months. Commitment sealed with a friendly handshake, sponsored by Cuban President Raul Castro.
In his broadcast on radio and television speech, Santos said that reaching agreements on land issues, political participation, illicit drugs and victims; it is a sign that it is possible to end the armed conflict between FARC and the government. He also encouraged both sides to the conflict to make a ceasefire and the demobilization of guerrillas respectively; dedicated only to finish the covenants still missing.
The president said in his speech that a resolution must be looked for the guerrillas put their guns down; contribute to the realization of rights of victims, to rejoin society and “defend their ideas with votes and not bullets.”
The signing of the negotiations between the government and the FARC on victims of conflict, including a comprehensive system of justice, truth, reparation and guarantees of non-repetition; It is a good sign that benefit all Colombians, ending half a century of armed conflict. In the following YouTube video channel “NTN24” some of the implications of this alliance are displayed.
Moreover, Santos says that the base of this agreement is that there will be victims amnesty for crimes against humanity, war crimes, genocide, kidnapping, extrajudicial executions, disappearances and forced displacement, sexual violence, torture and recruitment forced child. At that literally he said: “All these crimes will not be amnestied, but they will be tried and punished” in the context of the Special Court for Peace.
To close his speech, the president of Colombia, committed to the people that it is he who will have the last word, and that this, each of the agreements will be brought to referendum. He called on the Colombian people to be protagonist of this historic event for the country, and only then it will be possible to end 50 years of armed conflict; on peace and the future not only for current Colombian citizens, but for their children and their children’s children.
ALFA