The Colombian Peace Agreement (EN)

to renegotiating”. 155 Right now the fate of FARC troops on the ground is the most
pressing subject, as the ceasefire with the government has registered unprecedented
compliance and the general levels of violence have fallen back to their
1960s’ standards. However, the extension of the ceasefire until October 31 st is only
a temporary solution, and it is far from clear whether and how the truce can be
sustained over the long run. Until it is clear how much of the peace accord will
have to be rewritten to appease its opponents, there is no guarantee that war in
Colombia will not flare up again.
Santos and Uribe have already met to discuss the deal and its “corrections”, and
have said they will continue to meet. Renegotiating an entire new deal would be impossible
under the current stringent circumstances, and what remains to be seen is
if the opposition would deem it possible to seek quick changes to the agreement or
engage in a protracted renegotiation, with the implications this option entails. The
two sides might find common ground, such as a way to scale back benefits granted
to FARC commanders, but finding a solution that will be acceptable to both Uribe
and the FARC will not be easy.
The plebiscite was supposed to set into motion a series of positive incentives for a
controlled demobilization process and the beginning of a peaceful settlement. Instead,
it may have crushed some of the landmark achievements reached so far and
precipitated the situation, with both sides scrambling to plot their next moves, as its
result has shaken the political establishment and shocked the international community,
which has unanimously backed the peace process.
Although imperfect, the hard-negotiated agreement represented a concrete way
forward for peace and justice, an immediate path out of the war and an opportunity
for the country’s development to take off. The most important thing is that Colombia
does not walk away from this project and that the country continues to move
towards the long-awaited peace millions are longing for. This government has come
the closest to achieving peace since fighting began in 1964, and it is vital not to ruin
the progress made so far.
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