Colombian government, rebel group agree on peace deal

The Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Columbia (FARC) rebel negotiators announced a mechanism to provide security and legal stability to a final peace agreement.

"This is a series of complementary institutional and democratic mechanisms, which together constitute an expeditious and safe route to comply" and to introduce the final peace agreement in the Colombian legal system, according to a joint statement released by the negotiators on Thursday in Havana.

The future peace agreement will be considered a "Special Agreement" and will become part of the Colombian constitutional block on a temporary basis, explained Colombia's government head of negotiators Humberto de la Calle.

The "special agreement" is based on the Geneva Conventions and will be incorporated into domestic law through a legislative act, which will be treated as an ordinary law. It will be discussed in joint constitutional commissions in Congress and Senate, as well as in plenary sessions of the two chambers.

As agreed, the Colombian government will present the processing mechanism agreed on Thursday to the legislative chambers before May 18, including a proposal for an transitional article in the Constitution.

It was announced that once the agreement is signed, there will be a presidential statement before the Secretary General of UN so that the agency supports the peace agreement.

--IANS

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