Colombia, FARC announce final peace agreement in Havana

The Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) announced late Wednesday that they have reached a final peace agreement to end a half-century of civil war.

"We have reached a final, comprehensive and definitive agreement" to end the conflict and build a stable and enduring peace in the country, the two sides said in a joint statement read out in Havana.

The final agreement was endorsed by the chief negotiator of the FARC delegation, commander Ivan Marquez, and his governmental counterpart Humberto de la Calle, followed by the representatives of the guarantor countries, Rodolfo Benitez of Cuba and Dag Nylander of Norway.

De la Calle stressed the significance of the deal to end the suffering of the Colombian people, saying that "the best thing we did to end the war was to sit down to talk about peace." "It is the moment to give peace a chance," he added.

Details of the peace agreement was presented by the representative of Norway. The deal would help the most vulnerable people who have been hurt by this conflict, said Nylander, "including women, children, indigenous people and all those who have suffered."

The peace accord will be submitted to a popular plebiscite for the Colombian people to have the final say on the end of the 52-year civil war.
 [Xinhua -china.org.cn]
25/8/16