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1st LD: Colombian gov't, FARC rebels sign historic ceasefire agreement

Xinhua, June 24, 2016 Adjust font size:

The Colombian government and FARC guerrilla group on Thursday signed a historic ceasefire agreement, bringing the country's half-century civil war closer to an end.

Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos and top FARC commander Timoleon Jimenez presided over the signing ceremony in Havana, Cuba, which was attended by world dignitaries, including Latin American heads of state and the secretary-general of the United Nations.

"Today is a historic day for Colombia after more than 50 years of deaths and confrontations," Santos said.

"This represents the end of the FARC as an armed group," he added.

The agreement sets up mechanisms for the FARC to disarm and transform to a political party or movement, although the disarmament process will not begin until a definitive peace treaty is signed.

Cuban President Raul Castro hailed the agreement as a victory for Colombia, and said it reinforced the concept of Latin America as a zone of peace.

The agreement follows nearly four years of peace negotiations in Havana, which hosted the talks, and encouraged the Colombian government and rebels to set aside fighting and adopt peaceful, democratic means of resolving their disputes.

The head of the Colombian government delegation to the talks, Humberto de la Calle, signed on behalf of the government, while his FARC counterpart signed on behalf of the rebel group.

Preceding the signing, the representatives of Cuba and Norway, Rodolfo Benitez and Dag Nylander, whose countries served as guarantors of the peace talks, delivered a detailed account of the agreement. Enditem