A delegate from Colombia’s Inspector General’s Office has sent a letter to Todd Howland from the United Nations to explain the process behind choosing which victims participate in the Havana peace negotiations between the Colombian government and the FARC rebels, according to local media.
Colombia’s government is currently engaged in peace negotiations with the country’s largest rebel group, the FARC. The current topic being addressed is victim participation which is considered by most as the most delicate issue in the peace negotiations.
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There will be at least five separate victim’s delegations consisting of up to 12 victims to meet with the Colombian government and FARC in Havana starting on August 16. Both sides have declared the need to make the focus of the peace talks the victims of the armed conflict.
“We are dealing with a huge universe of victims in this country, which results in the need to have transparency over the established rules from institutions in a trascendental setting such as the discussion of the peace process in La Habana with the end to ensure a just representation for all the victims in Colombia,” said the public ministry in the letter written to the UN, according to Caracol Radio.
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Peace talks between the FARC and the Colombian government have been ongoing since November 2012. The two delegations are currently on the forth point of a six topic agenda. So far, both parties have come to agreements on the topics of agrarian land reform, political participation, and illicit drugs.
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