FOR THE SECOND TIME IN JUST SIX WEEKS,IT APPEARS THE LATIN AMERICA'S LONGEST-RUNNING WAR MAY FINALLY END IN PEACE.THE COLOMBIAN GOVERNMENT AND REVOLUTIONARY ARMED FORCES OF COLOMBIA,OR FARC,ANNOUNCED AN AGREEMENT SATURDAY NIGHT THAT WOULD END THEIR 52-YEAR GUERRILLA WAR-ANOTHER ATTEMPT AT PEACE AFTER COLOMBIAN VOTERS NARROWLY REJECTED A PREVIOUS DEAL IN AN OCTOBER REFERENDUM.
''WE HAVE REACHED A NEW FINAL ACCORD TO END THE ARMED CONFLICT THAT INTEGRATES CHANGES,PRECISIONS AND PROPOSALS SUGGRSTED BY THE MOST DIVERSE SECTORS OF SOCIETY'',BOTH GROUPS ANNOUNCED IN A STATEMENT.
IN A STATEMENT,U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE JOHN KERRY CONGRATULATED THE COUNTRY AND ITS LEADERS ON THE NEW DEAL.
''AFTER 52 YEARS OF WAR,NO PEACE AGREEMENT CAN SATISFY EVERYONE IN EVERY DETAIL''.KERRY SAID IN A STATEMENT.''BUT THIS AGREEMENT CONSTITUTES AN IMPORTANT STEP FORWARD ON COLOMBIA'S PATH TO A JUST AND DURABLE PEACE.THE UNITED STATES,IN COORDINATION WITH THE GOVERNMENT OF COLOMBIA,WILL CONTINUE TO SUPPORT FULL IMPLEMENTATION OF THE FINAL PEACE AGREEMENT.
THE WAR BETWEEN THE FARC AND THE COLOMBIAN GOVERNMENT BEGAN IN THE 1960s,SINCE THEN,IT HAS BEEN RESPONSIBLE FOR THE DEATHS OF MORE THAN 200,000 PEOPLE AND THE DISPLACEMENT OF MILLIONS MORE.
COLOMBIAN PRESIDENT JUAN MANUEL SANTOS HAS MADE PEACE WITH THE REBEL GROUP A CENTER PEACE OF HIS TIME IN OFFICE.HE BEGAN TALKS WITH THE FARC IN 2012,AND HIS GOVERNMENT HAS PURSUED INTENSE PEACE NEGOTIATIONS IN HAVANA IN THE YEARS THAT FOLLOWED,REACHING A TENTATIVE OUTLINE FOR A DEAL LAST YEAR AND FINAL TERMS FOR IT IN AUGUST.THOUGH VOTERS REJECTED THE FIRST ATTEMPT IN A NATIONWIDE REFERENDUM-BY A MARGIN OF LESS THAN 1 PERCENT SANTOS WAS REWARDED FOR HIS EFFORTS WITH A NOBEL PEACE PRIZE LAST MONTH.