Now that tensions between the Colombian government and the Marxist group FARC seems to have eased, the Unites States has announced, through their Colombian ambassador, that they will let the South American country decide how to deal with FARC criminals on their own.

As the BBC reports, Ambassador Kevin Whitaker said the United States would not be calling for the extradition of FARC rebels, as has happened in the past. 

"If you want to see that as the U.S.'s contribution to the peace process, you're welcome to do so," he added.

Speaking to Colombia's Caracol Radio, Whitaker called the Sept 23. agreement between the Colombian government and the leftist guerrilla group "historic."

Under the new agreement, members of FARC will be granted amnesty for political crimes committed during decades of conflict with Colombia. However, those that do not accept personal responsibility for their crimes will be sent to prisons.

Negotiators for the rebel group have previously stressed that they would refuse any peace agreement which might deport their members to the United States. According to Whitaker, around 2,000 Colombians have been extradited to the U.S. since 2002.

The atmosphere of the recent agreement between Colombia and FARC was respectful and full of bonhomie. As quoted in The Wall Street Journal, Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos recognized the significant understanding occurring between two groups that had been fighting for over 50 years, saying, “We are adversaries, but today we advance in the same direction, the most noble direction of any society, which is peace.”

The U.S. has shown great enthusiasm for the peace talks between the conservative nation and the Marxist rebels. Bernard Aronson, an Obama administration envoy who several times has met with FARC commanders in Havana, said of the agreement, “These are the most important breakthroughs since negotiations began more than three years ago.”

“Taken together this means the war in Colombia is coming to an end,” he added.