Petro reveals strategy to change Colombia’s socio-economic model
How Colombia’s judicial reform seeks to solve prison...
Colombia’s chief prosecutor says paramilitaries kidnapped, interrogated investigators
Colombia’s war crimes tribunal to press criminal charges...
Colombia jails US citizen on femicide charges
Colombia preparing tropical paradise for tourism after 500...
Hacktivists leak 178,000 documents from Colombia’s military
Colombia sentenced for exterminating political party
Colombia’s capital Bogota awarded for failing crime policy
OAS urges Colombia to release people arrested over...
  • About
  • Support
  • Newsletter
  • Contact
Colombia News | Colombia Reports
  • News
    • General
    • Analysis
    • War and peace
    • Elections
    • Economy
    • Culture
    • Sports
    • Science and Tech
  • Travel
    • General
    • Bogota
    • Medellin
    • Cali
    • Cartagena
    • Antioquia
    • Caribbean
    • Pacific
    • Coffee region
    • Amazon
    • Southwest Colombia
    • Northeast Colombia
    • Central Colombia
  • Data
    • Economy
    • Crime and security
    • War and peace
    • Development
    • Cities
    • Regions
    • Provinces
  • Profiles
    • Organized crime
    • Politics
    • Armed conflict
    • Economy
    • Sports
  • Lite
  • Opinion
Juan Manuel Santos (L) and Barack Obama (Image credit: President's Office)
War and peace

Colombia peace deal an ‘historic achievement’: Obama tells Santos

by Reuters September 21, 2016
3.5k

Us President Barack Obama on Wednesday welcomed a recently signed peace deal between Colombia’s state and FARC rebels, praising the “historic achievement” after 52 years of armed conflict.

Obama met with his Colombian counterpart, President Juan Manuel Santos, to receive his copy of the peace agreement that’s been negotiated since early 2011 and is set to formally be signed next week.

Profiles

Juan Manuel Santos

FARC


Fact sheet

Peace talks

“This is the first time that I’m seeing him in person since the historic agreement that was achieved in Colombia, ending the longest war in Latin America and providing an opportunity for Colombia to open an entirely new chapter of its history,” Obama said.

“I could not be more supportive of these efforts.  The American people welcome these efforts,” the US president who will leave office in January said.

According to Obama, the peace deal, which still has to be approved by the Colombian people before taking effect, “ultimately will be good for the region, as well as the people of Colombia.  It took a lot of courage and a lot of hard work by a lot of people.  And we are very proud to have played a modest part in helping the dialogue go forward.”

The US president won’t be attending Monday’s peace ceremony but said that, aside Secretary of State John Kerry, a bipartisan congressional committee will travel to Colombia’s Caribbean coastal city Cartagena to attend the peace ceremony.

According to Santos, “when I decided to take this step” to begin peace talks with the Colombian state’s oldest enemy “one of the first persons that I informed about my intentions was President Obama.  And since then, he has been a great support. Every day, every week asking how is it going, and supporting it in every way possible.”

Santos’ has been in the US since Sunday to present the peace deal to both the US government and the United Nations Security Council and General Assembly.

Additionally, the president has been seeking funds for one of the biggest challenges of Santos’ post-FARC Colombia, clearing more than half of his country’s territory of landmines.

Santos will be back in Colombia tomorrow, just days before the formal signing of peace on September 26 and the referendum on the deal on October 2.

armed conflictBarack ObamaFARCJuan Manuel Santospeace processUnited States

Trending

  • Colombia jails US citizen on femicide charges

  • Colombia’s war crimes tribunal to press criminal charges over failed plot to extradite former FARC chief

  • Petro’s reveals strategy to change Colombia’s socio-economic model

For patrons

Downloads for patrons

Related articles

  • Colombia’s war crimes tribunal to press criminal charges over failed plot to extradite former FARC chief

  • Colombia sentenced for exterminating political party

  • Colombia’s war crimes tribunal hears notorious former warlord

  • Twitter
  • Email
  • Rss

@2008-2019 - Colombia Reports. All Rights Reserved.
Powered by Digitale Zaken and Parrolabs


Back To Top
Colombia News | Colombia Reports
  • News
    • General
    • Analysis
    • War and peace
    • Elections
    • Economy
    • Culture
    • Sports
    • Science and Tech
  • Travel
    • General
    • Bogota
    • Medellin
    • Cali
    • Cartagena
    • Antioquia
    • Caribbean
    • Pacific
    • Coffee region
    • Amazon
    • Southwest Colombia
    • Northeast Colombia
    • Central Colombia
  • Data
    • Economy
    • Crime and security
    • War and peace
    • Development
    • Cities
    • Regions
    • Provinces
  • Profiles
    • Organized crime
    • Politics
    • Armed conflict
    • Economy
    • Sports
  • Lite
  • Opinion