Colombian government to sign new peace deal with FARC rebels

Colombia’s government and leftist rebels have said they will sign a modified peace accord on Thursday, after a previous deal was rejected in a referendum last month, and despite strong resistance from former President Alvaro Uribe.

The original deal, signed two months ago, was narrowly rejected by voters in a referendum on 2 October.

The decision to sign the accord and submit it to congress for approval was agreed to on Tuesday by government peace negotiators and leaders of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) during a day of closed-door meetings at a heavily guarded Roman Catholic retreat in Bogota.

It followed a seven-hour meeting on Monday night in which government negotiators tried to persuade Uribe and other sceptics to support the accord that would put an end to a half-century of fighting with the FARC.

The new agreement reportedly introduces some 50-plus changes to make it more acceptable to conservative Colombians who seemingly detest the FARC.

Uribe criticised the new deal on Tuesday, saying that the changes are cosmetic and that the accord, if implemented, represents a risk for Colombia’s democracy because it doesn’t go far enough in punishing rebels who committed atrocities.

President Juan Manuel Santos has made clear there is no more room for negotiation. In a joint government-Farc statement Tuesday, negotiators said they were still working on the procedures that would be used for ratification in congress, where the government coalition has a solid majority.

"This new accord possibly won't satisfy everybody, but that's what happens in peace accords. There are always critical voices; it is understandable and respectable," Santos said.

Uribe had been pushing for another referendum, which he expressed confidence would again vote down the accord.