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Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos and Commander Timoleon Jimenez of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, agreed Friday that the United Nations should verify and observe a potential bilateral cease-fire between the two, marking yet another step forward for the peace process.
On Wednesday, Santos requested the support of the U.N. Security Council for the final phase of the peace process.
“I will contact (the presidents) of the five permanent members of the Security Council to ask for their support for a rapid mandate and so we can make arrangements to finalize the negotiation process on the point (of negotiation) regarding the end of the conflict as soon as possible," said Santos.
The announcement by the Colombian president was followed by a tweet from Timoleon Jimenez, also known by the alias Timochenko, agreeing with the proposal.
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Cese al fuego bilateral contará con la verificación de la ONU y UNASUR #VamosPorLaPaz #CeseBilateralalFuego #DesescalamientoYa
— Timoleón Jiménez (@Timochenko_FARC)
October 30, 2015
“Bilateral cease-fire will count on verification from the U.N. and UNASUR.”
Santos expressed optimism that the Security Council would respond positively.
Although Santos originally said a bilateral cease-fire could possibly be implemented in 2016, the negotiating parties are now working to have a cease-fire before Christmas. However a bilateral cease-fire is contingent on the government and the FARC agreeing on the end of a hostilities, the fifth point of negotiation.
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The FARC are already observing a unilateral cease-fire, while the government has suspended aerial bombings of its camps. Clashes between government forces and the rebels are at historic lows.
A final peace deal is expected by late March 2016, but could come sooner if negotiations conclude ahead of schedule.
