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Belgium congratulates Colombia on signing new peace agreement

Xinhua, November 25, 2016 Adjust font size:

Belgian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Didier Reynders on Thursday congratulated the government and people of Colombia on signing the new peace agreement between the Colombian government and the FARC.

This new agreement, which follows a vast process of consultations aimed at including the concerns expressed by certain sectors of Colombian society during the referendum of Oct. 2, should allow for the country to definitively turn the page of the conflict with the FARC.

Almost two months after the rejection of a first version of the peace agreement by the Colombians during the referendum, the new text clarifies and strengthens legal mechanisms that will be applied to sanction the crimes of guerrilla warfare. This time, the document will not be submitted to a referendum but will be ratified by the Colombian parliament.

The peace agreement between the FARC and the government of Bogota aims to end a conflict that has lasted for more than half a century and officially led to 260,000 deaths, and million people displaced. Endit