The Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) will ink their landmark peace deal officially late next month, authorities said on Saturday.
“The solemn date of the signing will be between Sept. 20 and Sept. 26, depending on the schedules and the dignitaries who will be in attendance,” Colombian Defense Minister Luis Carlos Villegas said.
Villegas did not say who would attend the official signing, nor did he give its venue.
Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos has said it could be at UN headquarters, in Bogota or in Cuba.
The announcement came three days after Colombian and FARC negotiators presented a final peace accord following about four years of arduous negotiations in Cuba, putting an end to their half-century civil war that cost hundreds of thousands of lives.
Santos ordered a definitive ceasefire from today with the FARC rebels and the guerrillas are expected to make a similar announcement shortly.
Ahead of the final signatures, FARC rebel leaders will convene in the middle of next month to ratify the historic peace agreement signed with the Colombian government this week, the guerrilla group also announced on Saturday.
FARC said its leaders would convene for “the last conference of our organization while it still has its arms, endorse the peace accords and make way for the transformation of the FARC into a legal political movement.”
The Sept. 13 to Sept. 19 conference of 200 FARC delegates — including 29 members of its central committee — is to be open to 50 international guests as well as the press, an unusual move for the guerrillas.
“Given the historical significance of this event, the people of Colombia and the world must learn first-hand about the conference’s developments and decisions,” the FARC said.
The guerrillas will hold the conference in San Vicente del Caguan in southern Colombia, once a FARC stronghold.
The fate of the FARC-government peace accord comes down to a decisive yes-or-no vote on Oct. 2.
Santos, who has staked his legacy on the peace process, faces a tough political battle to win the referendum.
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