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UN chief welcomes agreement between Colombian gov't, rebel group

07 November 2013 23:58 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki- moon on Thursday welcomed a major peace agreement reached between the Colombian government and the country's armed rebel group on terms for ending a nearly half-century insurgency, APA reports quoting Xinhua.

"The secretary-general welcomes yesterday's announcement that the government of Colombia and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) have reached agreement on political participation, the second agenda item in the peace talks being held in Havana, Cuba," said a statement issued here by Ban's spokesperson.

"The secretary-general underscores the importance of guarantees and mechanisms to ensure citizen participation in achieving lasting peace grounded in democratic principles and respect for human rights," it said.

The UN chief praised the commitment of the parties to implement the agreement with "a gender perspective," ensuring the political participation of women.

He also welcomed the announcement that talks will continue in Havana and wished both delegations further success in reaching agreement on the three remaining issues -- drug trafficking, reparation for victims and disarmament of the rebels.

Colombia's government and the FARC guerrilla group announced on Wednesday that they have reached an agreement on the rebels' participation in politics once they put an end to the near half- century insurgency.

The two sides began negotiations in Havana in November 2012 after agreeing to a five-point agenda. Earlier this year, negotiators reached a partial deal on the first agenda issue of agrarian reform, including the redistribution of land and rural development, which initially led Colombian landless peasants to take up arms against the government in 1964.

The negotiators are set to pause before resuming on Nov. 18 to focus on the next agenda point -- drug trafficking. The rebels are believed to finance their leftist armed movement in part by taxing the drug trade.

Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos, who is running for reelection in 2014, has said he wanted the talks to conclude by the end of this year.