Peace talks between Colombia’s government and the guerrillas will continue this week until an agreement on the second agenda item of political participation is reached, following an announcement by the rebel group, FARC and a report released by local media.
Peace talks currently occurring in Havana, Cuba, will reach their one year anniversary in the third week of November, and both the Colombian government and the FARC are eager to prove that dialogues are progressing despite criticism and skepticism from multiple parties. Both want to lock down the second discussion point of a six item agenda: political participation.
“Here in Havana we are working intensely on another type of reform, political reform, with institutional and constitutional changes that can produce important changes for the political life of the country,” said Andres Paris, spokesperson of the FARC over the weekend.
The government negotiating team said that there is now a willingness on each side to work toward this reform in Havana, and both want to move on to the third point of drug trafficking.
The current agenda item will likely include the demobilization of the FARC if an agreement is reached, according to radio station, Caracol Radio.
At the end of October, both the government and the guerrillas announced that they would extend the round until Monday, and now they will extend the cycle again at least two or three days to finalize an agreement.
MORE: 2-day extension of current round of FARC peace talks suggests significant progress
The peace talks have been taking place since November 18, 2012. These talks have become an even more hot button issues than usual as the country heads towards elections. Both the government and the FARC, concerned about what a new administration would do to current peace talks, hope to finish before the voting takes place.
Sources
- Gobierno y Farc no terminarán ronda hasta firmar acuerdo político (Caracol Radio)
- CONTINUING WAR IS NO OPTION (FARC Website)