(MENAFN- Saudi Press Agency)
Bogota/Havana, Dhu-AlQa'dah 21, 1437, August 24, 2016, SPA -- Peace talks between Colombia's government and
the FARC rebel group are nearing a breakthrough, FARC commander
Rodrigo Londono said Tuesday, according to dpa.
Londono, known by the nom de guerre Timochenko, said on Twitter that negotatiors were on the threshold of "important announcements that bring us closer to a final agreement" in the talks to end more than 50 years of conflict.
Government peace negotiators echoed the anticipation, writing on Twitter, "we are now in decisive meetings on the road to peace." Negotiators for Londono's Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia and the government of President Juan Manuel Santos have been meeting for a week in Havana in what is intended as the final set of negotiations ahead of a definitive peace agreement following a ceasefire signed by both sides in June.
Past sessions have agreed on plans for demobilization and political participation by about 8,000 remaining FARC guerrillas.
Deals have also been struck on agricultural development, joint action against organized crime and drug trafficking, and a system of transitional justice with a maximum sentence of eight years for those found guilty of crimes in the conflict.
A date for the final peace accord has not been set. Once signed, the agreement will be subject to a referendum, expected by year's end.
The conflict between Colombia's government, left-wing guerrillas and right-wing paramilitary groups began in 1964 and has left 220,000 dead. Peace talks began in 2012.
In the last 13 months, the conflict's intensity has waned to its lowest level since the beginning of hostilities, according to a study published Tuesday by the Colombian peace organization CERAC.
--SPA
02:47 LOCAL TIME 23:47 GMT
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