The peace deal between the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) will take center stage on Feb. 4 as President Barack Obama is set to host his Colombian counterpart, Juan Manuel Santos, at the White House.

The two leaders will mark the 15th anniversary of the so-called Plan Colombia, an effort to fight Colombia's drug cartels, as well as FARC rebels, Agence France-Presse reported. Under the initiative, the South American country receives about $300 million per year in U.S. aid.

The plan launched by President Bill Clinton and continued by President George W. Bush is often viewed as a bipartisan success story, and Mark Feierstein, the National Security Council's director for Western Hemisphere Affairs, praised the effort as trailblazing. 

"The (Santos) visit recognizes one of the premier foreign policy successes for the United States," Feierstein said.

Effort Controversial With Colombians, Human Rights Groups

But groups such as Human Rights Watch have said that Plan Colombia also incited violence and contributed to the militarization of the country, the Irish Times reported. And in Colombia itself, the effort has been frequently criticized for allegedly deepening the drug war and making the internal conflict even bloodier.

Washington Office on Latin America senior associate Gimena Sanchez-Garzoli said in the view of lots of citizens, it was not the plan that led to peace in the South American country.

"For many Colombians directly affected by the conflict, Plan Colombia is shorthand for a never-ending war," Sanchez said.

Santos to Ask US to Take FARC Off Terror List

In anticipation of a final peace deal, nevertheless, Santos is expected to ask Obama on Feb. 4 to take FARC off the U.S. terror list and to accept that some key rebels may never be extradited to the United States. Bernard Aronson, the U.S. envoy to the peace process, meanwhile, noted these suggestions were in the realm of the possible.

"(FARC) has fundamentally changed -- given up violence, given up weapons, is no longer hostile to U.S. citizens or interests -- then that designation can be reviewed," Aronson said.