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Santos announced Tuesday during a televised address that the ceasefire with the FARC-EP would only be valid until Oct. 31.
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro asked his Colombian counterpart, Juan Manuel Santos, to indefinitely maintain the cease-fire with the FARC-EP in spite of the "No" result in the peace agreement plebiscite.
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"We reject the call for war and ask the government of President Santos, as defenders of peace and signatories of the peace agreement, that the ceasefire remains indefinitely in Colombia," said Maduro during a press conference in Caracas.
Santos announced Tuesday during a televised address that the ceasefire with the FARC-EP would only be valid until Oct. 31.
FARC-EP head Timoleon Jimenez, known as Timochenko, said on Tuesday the rebels would continue to respect the ceasefire and would abide by what they have agreed with the Colombian government, despite the fact that a slight majority of Colombians had voted "No" to the peace agreement.
Santos told his Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez to be aware "in case war restarts in Colombia."
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According to an official statement by the ministry of defense, the ceasefire agreement that begun on Aug. 29 was effective until the day of the plebiscite, Oct. 2, adding that it could be extended if needed to protect the safety of different sectors in Colombia.
On Sunday, Colombians voted on a plebiscite over the peace agreement between the government and the FARC-EP. The agreement that took four years to negotiate was rejected by a narrow margin of half a percentage point amid a low voter turnout of below 40 percent.
Only 13 of the 35 million eligible voters made it to the polls. The "No" campaign won with 50.21 percent to 49.78 percent for the "Yes" vote
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