Colombian President Hails Obama For U.S. Support For Peace Deal
After nearly four years of peace talks Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos signed a ceasefire with Marxist rebels on June 23 in Havana, Cuba. The agreement ends a half century-old guerrilla war that has killed more than 220,000 people. Under a final peace accord expected later this summer, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, the rebel group known as the FARC, will disarm and form a political party. Rebel commanders accused of war crimes will be judged by special tribunals – but face only token punishment.
For his efforts Santos, a 64-year-old economist, navy veteran, and former defense minister, could be a strong contender for Nobel Peace Prize. But at home his popularity is sagging due, in part, to concessions his government has made to the widely despised FARC. Santos discussed these issues in a recent interview with TIME.
Colombian presidents have tried and failed to make peace with the FARC since the 1980s. Why are these negotiations working?
I have always known that in order to have peace you need to be able to make war. We strengthened the armed forces and improved joint operations and intelligence. For the first time we were able to (target) top FARC commanders. That was the tipping point. The FARC began to realize that they would never achieve their goals through armed struggle. That allowed us to negotiate from a position of strength.
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