A deal made on agrarian before between the FARC and the government is a “major historic and irreversible step” towards peace, Colombia’s Congress president and chairman of the Peace Commission said Sunday.
In a press release and on Twitter, Congress President Roy Barreras — a vociferous supporter of the peace talks, said the agreement signed Sunday to reform Colombia’s rural economy was “a major historic and irreversible step. We have won the mountain stage prize. Now comes the time trial stage until November,” the deadline set by President Juan Manuel Santos for the FARC and the government delegates to sign a peace accord.
Gran paso acuerdo entre Gob y Farc sobre desarrollo agrario,superado premio d montaña d este Giro x la Paz,ahora vendrán etapas contrareloj
— Prensa Roy Barreras (@PrensaRBarreras) May 26, 2013
Barreras has supported peace talks with the FARC since they were announced in August last year.
MORE: Colombia’s senate president hopes FARC will become political party
The deal between Colombia’s government and the country’s largest guerrilla group was deemed “historic” by both Colombian President Santos and Colombian media.
The agrarian reform, announced by foreign observers in a protocolary act, is the first of five points on the negotiating table and was widely considered the toughest hurdle.
MORE: Colombian government and FARC reach deal on agrarian reform
The negotiators, after a short break, will return to negotiating on June 11 to talk about political participation of the FARC. If and once there is agreement on that, the warring parties will discuss the practicalities of ending the conflict that has killed hundreds of thousands of Colombians since the FARC took up weapons in 1964.
BACKGROUND: Text of deal between Colombia’s government and rebel group FARC to end armed conflict