United States envoy Bernard Aronson took part in a historic peace meeting between Colombian president Juan Manuel Santos, FARC rebel leader “Timochenko” and Cuban President Raul Castro, reported local media.
According to the weekly Semana, the US envoy took part in the meeting preceding the announcement of a partial accord on justice in which both the Colombian government and the FARC agreed to submit to transitional justice to respond of the tens of thousands of war crimes committed in the 51 years of the conflict.
The United States has supported the Colombian government for 15 years in attempts to defeat the FARC and has taken active part in the peace talks since February when Secretary of State John Kerry appointed Aronson as the US government’s special envoy to the talks.
The meeting between Santos and Timochenko is the first public encounter since peace talks began in 2012 and an important indication that the peace talks that seek to end 51 years of violence are at their point of no return.
Also in Cuba are representatives of all Colombian political parties, except for the Democratic Center of former President Alvaro Uribe who has consistently questioned the talks’ legitimacy.