The Colombian government and Farc are planning to ask the UN Security Council to send a mission of unarmed observers to Colombia for 12 months to monitor any ceasefire and the end of their decades-long conflict. Negotiators from both sides presented the joint statement on Tuesday from peace talks taking place in Cuba.
Humberto de la Calle, the government’s lead negotiator, told the Associated Press that the announcement was an “unequivocal demonstration of our desire to end confrontation.”
Since talks began in November 2012, Farc has declared multiple unilateral ceasefires, but the government has refused to join. While the government has scaled down military operations recently, President Juan Manuel Santos has repeatedly said that Farc must first agree to put down arms before the government would agree to a bilateral ceasefire.
Several key issues have already been decided at the peace talks but it is unclear whether a final deal will be struck by the March 23 deadline set for negotiations last year.