FARC Closer to Becoming a Legal Political Movement

Edited by Ivan Martínez
2015-09-18 12:44:34

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Bogotá, September 18 (teleSUR-RHC)-- Colombia’s largest guerrilla group said on Thursday it was ready to “address and discuss” steps that will allow the group to become a legal political movement.

The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, said they submitted a package of basic proposals to the government on this issue, and were awaiting feedback.

The head of the FARC delegation Luciano Marin Arango, aka “Ivan Marquez,” added  they were still negotiating in Havana and “making progress” over a consensus for a bilateral cease-fire. The FARC had announced on July 20 a month-long unilateral cease-fire and then renewed it on Aug. 20 indefinitely while the Colombian armed forces are still attacking the guerrilla's positions.

Both sides are also “close to reaching an agreement” upon the “decisive” point of justice, which will enable the two sides to finally close the negotiations on victims' reparations, a component that has been discussed for over a year.

However, the guerrilla leader warned peace would only have a future in Colombia if the phenomenon of paramilitarism was “urgently” clarified and dismantled, “because with a dirty war the agreement would consist in a lie.”

The government introduced Tuesday a “constitutional reform for peace,” seeking to create the legal framework that would allow the implementation of the agreements reached since 2012. However the FARC strongly criticized the move, as they repeated their demand to complete this process via a Constituent Assembly, involving greater citizen participation.

The government maintained its position, saying on Wednesday that this was “the government's decision” and that it already had a rather large consensus in Congress. As for the FARC, it pointed out that the consensus did not include the rebels. “Uniteralism and imposition lead to failure,” warned the FARC delegation.

The 42nd cycle of the peace process will take place in Havana between September 28th and October 8th.  


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