25/8/2016

Colombia,FARCRebelsSignCeasefireAgreement

AS IT IS

Colombia, FARC Rebels Sign Ceasere Agreement

June 24, 2016

e Colombian government and the rebel Revolutionary Armed Forces of

Colombia (or FARC) signed a ceasere and disarmament deal this week.
e deal brings Colombia a step closer to ending more than 50 years of
guerrilla warfare and terrorism. e conict has le more than 200,000
people dead.
Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos and FARC leader Rodrigo Londono
Echeverri signed the agreement ursday in Havana, Cuba. Negotiators for
the two sides held four years of peace talks in Havana.
Cuba and Norway assisted with the talks.
Cuban President Raul Castro and Norwegian Foreign Minister Borge Brende
attended the signing ceremony. Also present were United Nations SecretaryGeneral Ban Ki-moon, presidents from a number of Latin American countries
and United States diplomat Bernard Aronson.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry released a statement about the ceasere
deal. He called the truce, welcome news for the people of Colombia and
everyone who desires peace.
e ceasere is the last major step before both sides sign a nal peace
agreement. Santos said he expects that agreement will be signed on July 20.
at is the anniversary of Colombias independence from Spain in 1810.
Final issues to work out
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Colombia,FARCRebelsSignCeasefireAgreement

Small issues need to be worked out before the Colombian people vote on the
peace deal in a special referendum.
e main parts of the deal include a ceasere, disarmament of rebel forces
and land reforms. e agreement will give former rebels some political
power. e former FARC ghters can avoid prison time in exchange for
community service and travel restrictions.
e two sides had expected to sign the nal agreement in March. But
questions remained on exactly how the conditions in the peace deal would be
enacted. Another question was who would control a special war crimes court.
e most important questions are how the deal will be put into place legally.
Some Colombia watchers wonder what will happen if the deal falls apart if a
more conservative government takes power aer Santos leaves oce in 2018.
e Marxist FARC rebels launched their campaign against the government as
a poor peoples rebellion in 1964. ey grew into a dangerous ghting force.
FARC turned to drug tracking and kidnapping to nance its guerilla war.
But the rebels failed to oust the Colombian government.
Im Dan Friedell.

VOANews.com reported this story. Jim Dresbach adapted the report for
Learning English. George Grow was the editor.
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Words in is Story
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referendum n. an event in which the people of a county, state or country

vote for or against a law that deals with a specic issue
community service n. work that is done without pay to help people in a
community
drug tracking n. the sale and distribution of illegal drugs

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