Latin America Political News: Colombia Peace Talks Continue as Government, Rebels Meet in Havana
Another round of peace talks begun in Havana on Tuesday between the Colombian government and the rebel group FARC. Through these talks, most of the Colombian people hope the long-standing struggle between the government in Bogota and the rebel militia will end.
Talks between the two groups began on October 2012, with the goal of ending a struggle that has raged for about five decades, according to Vice. However, now the two sides begin the 25th round of talks. Along with the guarantor states of Chile, Norway, Cuba and Venezuela, the two entities have been debating what the peace terms will be.
Vice reports that both have agreed on rural reforms but the topics of drug trafficking, disarmament, and reparations for victims remain in debate. The talks remain a contentious topic in the South American nation, with various political parties taking opposite stands. Yet, the government of President Juan Manuel Santos remains optimistic, even though the struggle claimed 6 million victims.
"The FARC is not willing to allow the peace processes with the government to turn into a Nuremberg Trial for guerillas," one of the rebel leaders who is seeking a successful pact in Havana, told VICE News. In an attempt to thwart rumors circulating, the government's chief negotiator Humberto de La Calle said that topic of reducing military forces in conflict zones had not been discussed in any of the negotiations.
However, the rumors and the suspicions continue as Colombia nears its presidential elections. According to the AFP, the first round of voting will happen on May 25. Incumbent Santos is projected to be the winner and has a slim lead over the other candidates. Not far behind is conservative candidate Oscar Ivan Zuluaga who belongs to the same party as former President Alvaro Uribe.
During his presidency, Uribe fought the FARC but failed to defeat the rebels militarily. Now, according to the AFP, the Santos government is alleging that their opponents are sabotaging the negotiations.
"There has been a systematic dirty campaign to poison the peace process and this has generated doubts among certain people," Santos said.
"But I am convinced that the Colombian people are sensible, that they want peace and that in the elections they will express themselves clearly in favor of peace and in favor of a better future."
The government's political enemies have propagated the abovementioned rumor troop withdrawal from the conflict zones as well as another rumor concerning handing over the police forces to FARC. However, the opposition party has also received criticism after a hacking incident was traced back to the Zuluaga campaign. According to the news agency, the hacking breached the communications between the government and FARC.
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