Colombia’s president: Vote will show ‘overwhelming’ support for peace accords

(Photo: Efraín Herrera – EFE)

Rejecting criticism that his peace agreement with the FARC guerrillas will grant amnesty to war criminals, Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos said in an interview that his country’s peace process will be a approved by a wide margin in an Oct. 2 referendum and will become a model for resolving armed conflicts worldwide.

“There is a majority and overwhelming support [for the peace accords], and you will see that in the vote, ” Santos said of the referendum allowing Colombians to decide whether to support his agreement with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, and end the five-decades-old armed conflict that has left more than 200, 000 dead. “They may not like the president, or the government, but there is a big majority that supports peace.”

In an interview on Friday with the Miami Herald and “Oppenheimer Presenta” on CNN en Español, Santos promised that “justice will be applied” for FARC guerrillas who are most responsible for the conflict, and talked about how the country will pay for the peace process “to end a war that has bludgeoned Colombia for 50 years.”

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