Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos said on Tuesday (January 19) that his country was closer to peace after the government and leftist FARC rebels agreed earlier in the day to ask the United Nations Security Council to help monitor and verify a rebel disarmament should the two sides reach a final peace deal.
“Today we’ve taken one more step, a definitive step towards the termination of conflict and for peace. In Havana we have formally agreed to ask the United Nations Security Council to create a special mission to verify the bilateral ceasefire, that is to say the end of the war, the surrendering of arms. A couple of hours ago I sent a letter to the chairperson and secretary general of the United Nations making this request,” said Santos.
The rebels’ willingness to make the request jointly with the government is a sign of progress as the two sides aim to reach a comprehensive peace agreement before a March 23 deadline that negotiators set last year.
The Colombians asked that the U.N. body be made up of representatives from Latin American and Caribbean countries.
The international monitors would verify a bilateral ceasefire, preside over the FARC’s disarmament, settle any disputes and make recommendations. If needed, international participation could be extended for another year, the statement said.
But Santos ruled out formal peacekeeping forces joining the UN mission.
“It needs to be made clear that the observers are not armed. It’s not a mission to peace keeping mission of blue helmets,” he added.
Santos, who staked his 2014 re-election on the peace talks, has been urgently pressing for a deal to end Latin America’s longest war, which has killed 220,000 and displaced millions since 1964.
His government and guerrillas of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) reached a breakthrough on Sept. 23, when they set a six-month deadline for a final agreement, but the FARC has been hedging, indicating March 23 was unrealistic.
The final agenda point to be negotiated is on reaching a definitive bilateral ceasefire. They have already reached partial agreements on justice, land reform, combating drug trafficking and legalizing the FARC as a political party.
Any comprehensive agreement would be placed before Colombian voters for approval. (Reuters)
