Colombia, FARC rebels nearing peace deal amid worries about aftermath

The resolution welcomes the progress in negotiations between Colombia’s government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia and notes their joint request last week for a United Nations monitoring mission.

The council requested that U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon provide recommendations for the size of the mission and details about its operation.

The 15-member council unanimously adopted a British-drafted resolution that would establish a political mission for 12 months “to monitor and verify the definitive bilateral ceasefire and cessation of hostilities, and the laying down of arms”.

They have set a deadline of 23 March for the signing of a peace accord.

“What was done today is not just the beginning of an global agreement, but unequivocal proof of the desire to end this confrontation”, the representative of Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos noted.

China extends its congratulations in this regard and commends the efforts by the Colombian government and relevant parties to advance the dialogue for peace, he said.

“This concrete mandate of the Security Council will benefit all Colombians and will contribute to build confidence in a country determined to overcome the aftermath of a decades-long conflict that caused too much suffering for generations”, Colombian Foreign Minister Maria Angela Holguin told reporters following the vote, according to the Reuters news agency.

The UN “political mission” would consist of unarmed observers from Latin American and Caribbean nations.

Fifty years of fighting has cost the lives of 220,000 people and displaced millions. Two days later, the two sides began talks in Havana to discuss the dismantling of right-wing paramilitary forces in Colombia, which FARC considers the biggest obstacle to lasting peace.

“I would like to convey to the members of the council that their willingness to work with Colombia on this matter is essential for the success of the process”, she said in a speech. So far, the two sides have reached consensus on land and rural development, political participation for former rebels, combating drugs and narcotics trafficking, and reparations for victims of the conflict.

Last week, the Colombian government’s lead negotiator, Humberto de la Calle, described the request to the United Nations as a “transcendental” moment.