TODAY COLOMBIA (Prensa Latina) President Juan Manuel Santos reiterated today his confidence that 2015 will be a year of progress, equality and peace for all Colombians, who suffer from the effects of an armed conflict that has prolonged for more than half a century.
In his traditional Christmas address, the president highlighted the progress during talks between representatives of the government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia-People’s Army (FARC-EP) to achieve a negotiated solution to the internal conflict, which has affected directly about six million people.
The head of state praised the active participation of victims in the dialogues, which have been hosted in Havana since 2012, and the willingness of both warring parties to keep going the peace process.
According to Santos, the topic of peace transcends the meetings with the FARC-EP, which closed its 31st cycle.
It is an environment that we also build in our homes, among our relatives, with honest work and tolerance, said he after wishing happiness and tranquillity to his compatriots.
The occupant of the Casa de Nariño recalled the good development of the local economy in 2014, which grew over the ones of many countries in the region, he said.
Additionally, he mentioned actions to favor vulnerable groups with housing construction and educational programs, as well as investments to improve and expand access to Internet and its various infrastructure (port, road) modalities.
If 2014 was the year of hope, the next one will be of peace and progress, emphasized Santos.
As a result of the discussions between the government and the FARC-EP team, consensus was reached on issues such as land reform, political participation, and illicit drugs, now remaining the discussion on issues of transitional justice, end of conflict, disarmament and reintegration into society of the guerrillas, considered to be the most complex.
December ends in the middle of a unilateral ceasefire and for an indefinite time, decreed by the insurgent movement in response to the demand made by the society to minimize the victimization of the population, and move towards the end of the war period, a measure that will have to be complemented with reciprocal actions from the government, say activists, community leaders and politicians
