Colombia's president and FARC rebel commander commit to peace agreement within 6 months
'The time for peace has arrived,' Colombian president says
Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos and the top commander of leftist FARC rebels shook hands on Wednesday and agreed to reach a final peace agreement within six months in Latin America's longest war.
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"The chief of the FARC secretariat and I have agreed that in no more than six months this negotiation should come to an end and we should sign a final agreement," Santos told a ceremony in Havana, the site of peace talks for the past three years.
Rebels of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) have fought the Colombian government for 51 years in a conflict that has killed some 220,000 people and displaced millions.
"This will not be an easy task because there are still some difficult points to agree. But it is an instruction that we have given to our delegations, that we reach an agreement as soon as possible," Santos said.
"We won't fail. The time for peace has arrived."
Santos and FARC rebel leader Rodrigo Londono, better known by the nom de guerre Timochenko, signed an agreement that would create special tribunals to try former combatants in a war that has killed some 220,000 and displaced millions since 1964.
Historic handshake
Santos and Timochenko greeted each other in a handshake likely to stand as a lasting image in Colombia. Cuban President Raul Castro, who hosted the meeting, joined his hands to theirs.
"It's now up to both parties to multiply efforts to construct the consensus that will bring a bilateral ceasefire, agreements about abandoning arms, and the transformation of the FARC into a legal political movement," Timochenko said.
The two sides also announced the formation of a truth commission, a deal on reparations for war victims and an amnesty for combatants except those who committed war crimes.
Santos's visit marked the first time the president has travelled to Cuba since the negotiations began nearly three years ago.
"The end of the conflict will be a matter of a few months," Colombian Interior Minister Juan Fernando Cristo said on Twitter. "The construction of peace in our land will take years."
Previously, the sides had reached partial agreements on land reform, political participation for ex-rebels and an end to the illegal drug trade. In addition, the two have reached a side agreement on removing landmines from the battlefield.
The insurgent group of about 8,000 combatants, down from 17,000 in their heyday, is listed as a terrorist group on Public Safety Canada's website. It is also considered a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union.
FARC grew out of a 1960s peasant movement demanding land reform, and has been fighting successive governments ever since. The struggle has created one of the world's highest internally displaced populations.
U.S. applauds breakthrough
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry called the breakthrough "historic progress" and telephoned Santos to congratulate him.
The United States has poured billions of dollars into military aid and drug-fighting efforts in Colombia, one of Washington's closest allies.
Kerry also thanked Pope Francis, currently touring the United States after visiting Cuba, for lending his support to peace this past weekend when he called on Colombia's government and guerrillas to end their "long night" of war.
"Please, we do not have the right to allow ourselves yet another failure on this path of peace and reconciliation," the Argentine pontiff said in an address at the end of a mass he celebrated in Havana's Revolution Square on Sunday.
If realized, peace in Colombia would mark a huge advance for one of Latin America's star emerging economies. It could also deal a setback to illegal narcotics trafficking. Some FARC units have formed an alliance with drug cartels, exchanging protection for money.
Previously, the government and the rebels reached a partial agreement on cooperating to end the illegal drug trade, in addition to others on land reform and the legal political participation for rebels once they disarm.
They also have a side agreement on removing landmines from the battlefield.
The major point left to negotiate is how demobilize rebel forces and stop the fighting, which has continued on and off throughout the peace talks.
Once a comprehensive deal is reached, it would go before Colombian voters for approval.
With files from CBC News