- Title: Colombia government, rebels in crisis talks after "No" to peace deal
- Date: 4th October 2016
- Summary: BOGOTA, COLOMBIA (OCTOBER 4, 2016) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF COLOMBIAN FOREIGN MINISTER, MARIA ANGELA HOLGUIN, IN NEWS CONFERENCE CAMERAMEN (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) COLOMBIAN FOREIGN MINISTER, MARIA ANGELA HOLGUIN, SAYING: "Well, the international community is rather terrified. And truthfully, I recognize that all the calls are of disappointment and not understanding how a country chose not to make peace. But at the same time, very supportive, with Colombia, expressing hope that political forces of the country have the maturity to settle quickly and look at how a path toward ending the conflict can be retaken." BOGOTA, COLOMBIA (OCTOBER 2, 2016) (REUTERS) BALLOT FROM PLEBISCITE VARIOUS OF PEOPLE VOTING IN PLEBISCITE BOGOTA, COLOMBIA (OCTOBER 4, 2016) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) COLOMBIAN FOREIGN MINISTER, MARIA ANGELA HOLGUIN, SAYING: "The decision of whether or not to open the accords is more a decision for the FARC where Dr. de la Calle and Sergio Jaramillo are in a meeting with them because the accord was closed and this is what was signed on September 26 so the decision is not the government's." CAMERAMEN HOLGUIN LEAVING NEWS CONFERENCE
- Embargoed: 19th October 2016 21:00
- Keywords: Maria Angela Holguin Bogota Foreign Minister FARC
- Location: BOGOTA, COLOMBIA
- City: BOGOTA, COLOMBIA
- Country: Colombia
- Topics: Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA00152LDGZR
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Colombia's government and Marxist guerrillas went back to the drawing board in Havana on Tuesday (October 4) after a peace deal they painstakingly negotiated over four years was rejected in a shock referendum result.
In a vote that confounded opinion polls and was a disaster for President Juan Manuel Santos, Colombians narrowly rebuffed the pact on Sunday as too lenient on the rebels.
In Bogota, Colombian Foreign Minister Maria Angela Holguin said Colombia has been hearing from leaders around the world.
"Well, the international community is rather terrified. And truthfully, I recognize that all the calls are of disappointment and not understanding how a country chose not to make peace. But at the same time, very supportive, with Colombia, expressing hope that political forces of the country have the maturity to settle quickly and look at how a path toward ending the conflict can be retaken," she said.
Lead negotiators Humberto de la Calle and Sergio Jaramillo were back at a Havana convention center on Tuesday meeting counterparts from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) to see what the rebels are willing to do, the government said.
The Cuban capital was the venue for talks between the two sides since 2012 that reached an accord to end Colombia's 52-year war that has killed around a quarter of a million people.
All sides, including "No" voters, who carried the day on Sunday by less than half a percentage point, say they want an end to war, and the two parties have kept their ceasefire.
But there is vehement opposition - led by hardline former President Alvaro Uribe - to major planks of the previous deal, including guaranteed congressional seats for the FARC and immunity from traditional jail sentences for leaders.
A renegotiation seems to depend on whether the FARC would accept tougher conditions, maybe combined with a softening of Uribe's demands. After years of refusing to meet negotiators, Uribe has now said he is willing to seek a joint solution.
Santos and Uribe will meet on Wednesday morning, the president's office said.
Holguin said the decision whether to officially renegotiate the accord lies with the FARC.
"The decision of whether or not to open the accords is more a decision for the FARC where Dr. de la Calle and Sergio Jaramillo are in a meeting with them because the accord was closed and this is what was signed on September 26 so the decision is not the government's," she said.
On Monday the rebels said they would remain "faithful" to the negotiated accord and Twitter messages from FARC leadership appeared to suggest reluctance to change the terms at this stage.
Three representatives from Uribe's right-wing Democratic Center party are to pore over details with three from the government. In what may turn into a dual negotiation process, those meetings are to commence once de la Calle returns from Cuba. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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