Page 11 - Aruba Today

WORLD NEWS A11
Friday 25 September 2015

Political, legal barriers face historic Colombia peace deal

JOSHUA GOODMAN Cuba’s President Raul Castro, center, encourages Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos, ify any deal. While details
Associated Press are still being worked out,
BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) left, and Commander the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia or FARC, Timoleon Jimenez, Santos has vowed to hold
— A stunning diplomat- at least a symbolic refer-
ic breakthrough leaves known as “Timochenko”, to shake hands, in Havana, Cuba. (AP Photo/Desmond Boylan) endum and congress also
a minefield of problems must pass legislation imple-
standing between Co- violence. Former President Alvaro ting patriotic Colombian menting any deal.
lombia and the tantalizing Human Rights Watch said Uribe, whose military offen- soldiers on the same wit- Polls show Colombians
prospect of peace after it’s difficult to imagine sive helped push a weak- ness stand as the “terror- overwhelmingly loathe the
generations of armed con- how such an arrangement ened FARC to the negoti- ists.” FARC, and as recently as
flict. could survive a serious re- ating table, said it would Uribe’s comments fore- June a majority favored
President Juan Manuel view by Colombian or in- generate more violence shadow what’s likely to be trying to defeat the rebels
Santos and leaders of ternational courts. and fuel impunity by put- a bitter political fight to rat- militarily instead of negoti-
the Revolutionary Armed ating with them.
Forces of Colombia are Santos has acknowledged
celebrating Wednesday’s that Colombians will have
announcement that they to “swallow some toads” if
had crossed what many they want to bring an end
see as the point of no re- to a spiral of violence that
turn after three years of has claimed more than
peace talks by settling on 225,000 lives.
a formula to punish human Then there’s the whopping
rights abuses. cost of attacking the root
They set a six-month dead- causes of the insurgency:
line to sign a final agree- crushing poverty, inequal-
ment ending more than ity and a lack of state pres-
half a century of drug-fu- ence in the Colombian
eled fighting. countryside that have seen
Still to resolve, though, are an exodus of more than 5
legal obstacles, such as million internally displaced
dozens of U.S. drug war- people.q
rants for rebels and the
threat of lawsuits by vic-
tims, as well as political
considerations, such as
widespread mistrust of the
guerrillas’ intentions and
the puzzle of how to pay
for peace at a time of eco-
nomic malaise.
Under the terms, rebels
who confess crimes to spe-
cial tribunals, compensate
victims and promise not to
take up arms again will re-
ceive from five to a maxi-
mum of eight years of la-
bor — but no prison time.
War crimes by government
forces will also be judged
by the tribunals, and com-
batants on either side of
the conflict caught lying
will face penalties of up to
20 years in jail.
Some critics complain the
provisions are too light on a
guerrilla group accused of
repeatedly kidnapping ci-
vilians, forced recruitment
of child soldiers and sexual