The
leader of Colombia's right-wing "No" forces formally
rejected the latest peace deal and called for a new referendum
Just days
before a new peace agreement between the Colombian government and the
FARC rebel group is expected to be signed on Thursday, the
ex-president and leader of the right-wing “No” forces, Alvaro
Uribe, said in a statement Wednesday that there were “serious
issues” with the new plan.
Uribe went
on to call for yet another national referendum on the newest
agreement saying “it is necessary to resort to a national
referendum, whether on the whole agreement or at least on those
sensitive issues on which there is no agreement.”
In a speech
on Wednesday Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos rejected calls
for a new plebiscite saying “after listening to all the
proposals and alternatives, and in agreement with the FARC, it’s
clear that the most convenient and legitimate path to approve this
new agreement is through the Congress of the Republic.”
"This
new accord possibly won't satisfy everybody, but that's what happens
in peace accords. There are always critical voices; it is
understandable and respectable," continued Santos, warning
another plebiscite could divide the nation and put in danger the
bilateral cease-fire.
Santos’
concerns about the status of the cease-fire were echoed by FARC
leaders who have condemned the recent spike in violence against
social movement leaders.
“The
situation is very dramatic and worrying,” wrote the FARC in a
statement issued Monday. “More than 200 deaths so far this year,
with a total blanket of impunity. A new genocide is in motion against
social and campesino leaders.”
FARC leader
Rodrigo Granda also rejected earlier attempts by Uribe to delay
Thursday’s signing saying the current cease-fire is “very
fragile”.
In a joint
statement issued Tuesday, the Colombian government and FARC leaders
said, "The consolidation of peace requires that we advance
with firm steps towards the implementation of the agreements, which
will allow us to overcome so many years of conflict in Colombia."
The peace
plan looks to end a brutal 52-year civil war which has victimized an
estimated 8 million people and left some 260,000 dead and more than
60,000 disappeared.
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