Obama reiterates U.S. support to Colombia's historic peace deal

U.S. President Barack Obama on Wednesday reaffirmed his support to a peace agreement reached between Colombian government and rebels, hailing the deal as "an achievement of historic proportions."

"I could not be more supportive of these efforts. The American people welcome these efforts," Obama told reporters before a bilateral meeting with Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.

On Aug. 24, the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) announced that they have reached the final peace agreement to conclude their peace negotiations that have been held since November 2012 in Havana.

Obama said the peace deal ended the longest war in Latin America and provided "an opportunity for Colombia to open an entirely new chapter of its history."

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry will travel to Cartagena, Colombia, on Monday, leading a U.S. delegation to witness the signing of the peace accord.

Obama also acknowledged that there will be "a lot of challenges involved in implementation" of the deal, and noted that Colombian people need to "lend their voice" to a referendum in order for the deal to move forward.

Expressing his appreciation for U.S. engagement to facilitate the negotiations, Santos gave Obama a copy of the peace agreement which he called "the most comprehensive peace agreement probably in history."

"You deserve a lot of credit for this very historic agreement which will change not only Colombia, the whole region," Santos said.

The conflict between the Colombian government and the leftist rebel group started in the 1960s as an uprising for land rights. It has left about 260,000 people dead, 45,000 missing and nearly 7 million displaced, according to official figures. Endit