Colombia: Advances and Impediments in 3 Years of Peace Talks

During three years of Colombian peace talks, considerable progress has been made in reaching a final settlement. Agreements have been reached on four of six agenda points: victims’ rights and transitional justice, rural development, political participation and illegal drugs. One outstanding issue, however, is paramilitary activity, which continues to be a major cause of death and violence. Social movements and civil society organizations call for speeding up the peace talks, and the FARC stated that an agreement could be signed before the six-month deadline if there is the political will to do so. teleSUR