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Roundup: LatAm rejoices at Colombian peace deal

Xinhua, June 23, 2016 Adjust font size:

Latin America on Wednesday rejoiced at the historic peace deal between the Colombian government and the rebel Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).

The peace deal, reached after three years of fraught talks in Havana, is seen as a major step towards resolving the five-decade civil war that has claimed at least 220,000 lives.

A formal accord will be signed Thursday by President Juan Manuel Santos and FARC leader Rodrigo Londono in Havana. United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Cuban President Raul Castro, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and Norway's Foreign Minister Borge Brende will attend the ceremony.

"Tomorrow (Thursday) will be a great day! We are working for a Colombia at peace, a dream that is beginning to be a reality," Santos said on Twitter.

On Wednesday Brazil hailed the peace deal "a cause for celebration across the region."

"This was a fundamental step toward the end of violence and for permanent peace in Colombia, representing a victory for all Colombians and a cause for celebration across the region," Brazilian foreign ministry said in a statement.

Brazil would happily contribute to the implementation of the peace process, the statement added.

Chilean President Michelle Bachelet said the peace deal "will be a landmark in the history of Latin America."

"This is an initiative in which the foreign ministry has participated. However, given the importance of the role Chile has played in this process, I decided to personally assist in the ceremony after speaking with Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos," Bachelet told a press conference.

Bachelet also highlighted "the importance of putting an end to a conflict that has lasted over 50 years and has had devastating effects for Colombians."

Bolivian President Evo Morales wrote on his official Twitter account: "We value the efforts of Juan Manuel Santos' government and the FARC in the definitive ceasefire agreement."

"In Latin America we should look after peace, without foreign interventions or armed conflicts," he said.

"We are celebrating that Colombia, a member country of the Andean Community, is one step away from having definitive peace," said Walker San Miguel, secretary-general of the Andean Community, a subregional trade bloc that groups Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru.

The accord will lay out how and where FARC rebels will demobilize and give up their arms after a final deal is reached. Santos said earlier this week the government and the rebels will complete negotiations for a final deal by July 20. The ceasefire will only begin after the final deal is signed. Endi