Colombia President Juan Manuel Santos and the leader of the FARC rebel group, Rodrigo Londoño, will formally sign a revised peace deal on Tuesday in the nation’s capital Bogota, local media reported on Monday.
According to newspaper El Tiempo and radio station Caracol, the new agreement will be signed by the president and Londoño, a.k.a. “Timochenko,” at the Quinta de Bolivar, the former home of the nation’s liberator Simon Bolivar.
The former adversaries will reportedly meet at noon at the foothills of the Monserrate for the historic signing.
FARC chief leaves for Colombia to formally sign new peace deal
The revised deal was put together over the last 40 days following the rejection of the first agreement by the Colombian public in an October 2 referendum, all but undoing a compromise that took more than five years to negotiate.
Following the electoral defeat, the government sought the involvement of multiple sectors of Colombian society to propose changes to the deal that seeks to end 52-years of extreme political violence.
The opposition, led by former president Alvaro Uribe, presented their requests for changes to the negotiating team which were taken to Cuba and considered in the latest round of talks.
Santos announced last Wednesday he will present the new peace accord to Congress so that the legislative body can begin debates to ultimately ratify the agreement and resume the peace process that was stopped in its tracks by the referendum result.
Colombia peace deal to be in Congress before Christmas recess deadline: Santos
As the delicate bilateral ceasefire continues between the two sides many see the quick implementation of the agreement essential so that demobilization can take place.
Speaking to RCN Radio from Havana, FARC negotiator Rodrigo Granda said that the implementation of the deal reached on November 12 “is urgent” adding that the negotiation “was closed” and no further changes could be made.
We have already concluded this stage of negotiation. We met with the church, youths, with social movements, but negotiations can not last forever, that stage is already closed, period. What remains is the signing and implementation of the final agreement, which is already published.
FARC negotiator “Rodrigo Granda”
Currently thousands of FARC troops lie in wait for the implementation of the deal which would see them demobilize and disarm, and join mainstream politics.
