Colombian President Gustavo Petro announced on Thursday before the United Nations Security Council a proposal to relaunch the implementation of the Peace agreement with the defunct Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC)during the presentation of the quarterly report of the organization’s Verification Mission in Colombia.
Agrarian reform and the delivery of land, the clarification of the truth and the transformation of the territory, according to the president, are the Three key points of the agreement have not been adequately fulfilled.
“The peace agreement did not produce a national agreement, it was not possible to speak of the national pact that is being talked about and that has been placed before you as a unilateral declaration of State, a commitment of Colombia to humanity. It has not been possible because the Colombian population is divided in two: one that is betting on a military solution to the conflict and another that is betting on a negotiated solution,” he said.
The president said he decided to attend the presentation of the report ““because in Colombia there is no clarity on this mechanism. It was thought that it was a protocol visit and the words written by President Santos regarding a unilateral declaration of State were not understood.”
Key points
The new proposal includes a “fast track” that, according to him, he will propose to Congress: “a faster method to approve laws in the Congress of the Republic, and also, extend the implementation time of the Peace Agreement for seven more years,” Petro said.
The president therefore proposed eight points, such as the modification of the regulations for future periods and the medium-term fiscal plan that, he said, would allow financing and “prioritizing the works of territorial inclusion.”
The second point consists of the change in the distribution of the General Participation System, to direct resources to the implementation areas of the Territorial Development Programs (PDET), whose objective is to promote economic, social and environmental development in those areas of the country most affected by the internal armed conflictand also finance their infrastructure and investment projects.
Other points include the release of peasants who produce coca leaves, optimization and new forced investments in the face of “the productive substitution of illicit economies and a path to agro-industrialization,” and the conversion of hereditary titles in jungle areas, since the president recalled that many of the PDET zones are in jungle areas.
He also proposed an agrarian reform for the faster administrative purchase of land, since he emphasized that the current law “prevents” the rapid purchase of land, and a transformation of the National Land Agency so that it can structure productive projects and formalize titles.
He also proposed a single system so that all the actors in the conflict have a single court, which includes “paramilitaries, third-party civilians, guerrillas, military personnel and even drug trafficking organizations” that have anything to do with the conflict,” he said.
For Petro, having them “is the only way to dismantle all the writings that some leave their weapons so that others can take them and to be able to produce a general disarmament in the conflict zones of the country.”
And finally, extend the implementation period of the agreement for seven more years.
Petro said that he does not have enough resources to comply with the peace agreement, which would require 200 billion pesos for implementation.
The president asked the community to forgive his country for the risk of indebtedness and spoke of exchanging debt for climate action so that, in this way, “the difference in money goes towards the peace agreement.”
UN Report
Petro spoke after the presentation of the report by Carlos Ruiz Massieu, head of the United Nations Verification Mission in Colombia – together with Diego Ferney Tovar, peace signatory delegate of the Comunes Party -, peace signatory delegate of the Comunes Party before the Follow-up Commission, on the negotiating tables within the framework of the ‘total peace’ policy, the progress and challenges in the implementation of the agreement and the violent events in the country.
According to Massieu, the Mission’s report on the implementation of the Peace Agreement for the second quarter of 2024 indicates that for the first time since its signing, the parties have begun the process of reviewing the Implementation Framework Plan to accelerate results.
The report, signed by the Secretary General of the United Nations, António Guterres, indicates that “the colombian peace process “The peace process has yielded significant results and has laid the foundations for further progress. Colombians now have the opportunity to consolidate and expand the scope of peace in the country. This will require political will, the active participation of all sectors of society and concrete actions.”
But the head of the Verification Mission also said that the situation in the department of Cauca was worrying, as there has been an increase in the impact on the civilian population caused by armed groups.
And, regarding the security crisis that the country is experiencing, he pointed out that “the communities require the implementation of security guarantees provided for in the Agreement in a context of greater state presence,” and that this be complemented by the reduction of violence, in the midst of ongoing dialogues between the national Government and other groups.”
“The simultaneity of these efforts is necessary and strategic to move towards peace,” he added.
Connect with the Voice of America! Subscribe to our channels Youtube, WhatsApp and to newsletter. Turn on notifications and follow us on Facebook, X and Instagram.
Add Comment