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Juan Manuel Santos

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23 Sep, 2015

Peace breakthrough

Treaty Signed0 Comments

HandshakePresident Santos and leaders of FARC vow to end Latin America’s longest running armed conflict in the coming months after reaching a breakthrough in talks that puts the country closer to peace than it has been in half a century. Both sides have set a six-month deadline to sign a final agreement. After that, the group will demobilize within 60 days. In a joint statement, Santos and the FARC rebels say they have overcome the last significant obstacle to a peace deal by settling on a formula to punish human rights abuses committed during about 50 years of fighting. The formula is designed to demand accountability from belligerents while insulating a deal against possible legal challenges from victims. Santos and Timoshenko shake hands. Santos:

We are on different sides but today we advance in the same direction, in the most noble direction a society can take, which is toward peace.

U.S. Secretary of State Kerry says:

Peace is now ever closer for the Colombian people and millions of conflict victims.