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On Thursday Ernesto Samper, the Secretary-General of the Union of South American Nations, or Unasur, said that Colombia’s right wing must understand that peace is irreversible and accept the implementation of the new peace accord signed between the government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia.
Samper said that the government of Colombia must begin the demilitarization of the conflict and the implementation of the amnesty law so that combatants can begin to return to their homes in peace. He added that Colombia’s youth are in complete support of the peace agreement.
Samper’s comments come in response to the intransigence of Colombia’s right-wing forces, led by ex-President Alvaro Uribe, who have attempted to block peace at every opportunity. Uribe led the scaremongering of the "No" campaign, which managed to narrowly defeat an earlier peace agreement in a plebiscite in October.
Since the signing of the historic peace accord on Thursday, which would bring an end to the 52-year-long civil war, Uribe has denounced the agreement threatening a boycott of the congressional debate on the plan, scheduled for next week, as well as calling for street protests and civil disobedience. “If they want to play rough, we have ways to play rough too,” Senator Paloma Valencia, an Uribe ally, told Colombian media this week.
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Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos, who will receive the Nobel Peace Prize on Dec. 10 for his efforts in negotiating the peace agreement, enjoys a solid majority in Congress, which is expected to approve the new peace deal early as next week.
Samper went on to say that Uribe “must understand that the vote in the plebiscite was not a vote against peace. Many Colombians voted against the government, against taxes, or against the FARC, but they didn’t vote against peace.”
Samper added that Catholic Church's leaders in the country – who had taken a neutral position during the nation referendum, must take an active role in implementing the new agreement following the leadership of Pope Francis who was a prominent supporter of the peace process.
Samper highlighted the key role of government of Venezuela, first with President Hugo Chavez and now with President Nicolás Maduro in “actively sowing the process of peace.” He went on to say that Unasur is ready to work in a “transparent and supportive” manner on post-conflict projects in the country. He added that it will take several generations to construct a “new country.”
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