AMERICA/COLOMBIA - Historic agreement in the peace talks between the Colombian government and the FARC

Bogota (Agenzia Fides) - Yesterday, May 16, the session on the third point in the talks between the representatives of the Peace talks between the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), held in Havana, ended.
The note sent to Fides reports that in a joint statement, the parties signed an agreement to be considered historic, where the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) are committed to completely dissociating themselves from the drug trade after the end of the conflict. The talks in Havana produced agreements on two other points: the agrarian question and the reconversion of the guerrilla forces into a political group. (See Fides 31/03/2014).
Negotiations to outline the procedures for the disarmament of the Revolutionary Armed Forces and the mechanism of countersignature of any final peace agreement remains open, so as to put an end to an armed conflict that has lasted half a century, and has caused hundreds of thousands of deaths and about five million displaced.
Fides also received information with regards to a statement of the FARC that are committed to a "cease fire" for the period from May 20 to 28, in view of the presidential elections. (CE) (Agenzia Fides, 17/05/2014)