Do we have a final deal to end a half-century of bloody, drug-fueled fighting? Colombia is life, and it’s peace. This was the impression the country gave when hosting tourism leaders from around the globe during the recent UNWTO General Assembly in Medellin.
Today the same Colombian president who delivered the opening address to the tourism assembly and the leader of the Farc rebel group are expected to announce an agreement on how to deliver justice for crimes committed during more than five decades of conflict.
President Juan Manuel Santos and Rodrigo Londono, known as Timochenko, are meeting in Havana. Timing is perfect. The pope just left with a message of peace and cooperation, taking it to Washington.
The deal is seen as a major breakthrough after nearly three years of peace talks hosted by Cuba.
The conflict is the longest-running in Latin America.
The Cuban foreign ministry, which is helping mediate the talks, issued a statement saying the agreement involved the creation of a “special peace jurisdiction”.
Negotiators from the Colombian government and the Farc, the country’s largest rebel group, have already reached agreement on land reform, political participation and illegal drugs.