Colombia peace accord with FARC model for ending Syria crisis: Santos
Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos says a peace accord between Bogota and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) after over half a century of a bloody armed conflict could be viewed as a "model" and "a ray of hope" for resolving the conflict in Syria.
Santos made the remarks during his acceptance speech in the award ceremony of the Nobel Peace Prize in the City Hall of the Norwegian capital, Oslo, on Saturday, more than two months after the Norwegian Nobel committee awarded him the prize for “his resolute efforts” to put an end to the civil war in the Latin American country.
The landmark deal to end five decades of bitter fighting is a "model for the resolution of armed conflicts that have yet to be resolved around the world," Santos said, addressing an audience including victims of the war as well as Norway's King Harald.
"It proves that what, at first, seems impossible, through perseverance may become possible even in Syria or Yemen or South Sudan."
"The Colombian peace agreement is a ray of hope in a world troubled by so many conflicts and so much intolerance," he said.
The initial deal, negotiated for some four years, was sealed on September 26 between the two warring sides but it was rejected unexpectedly by a razor-thin margin in a referendum on October 2, with opponents, led by former President Alvaro Uribe, saying that it was too lenient on the rebels and called for revisions.
The final revised edition, however, was signed by the government and FARC on November 24 and won unanimous approval by both senate and lower house of congress in late November and early December, respectively, ending 52 years of a deadly violence.
Deputy Chairwoman of the Nobel Committee Berit Reiss-Andersen said many believed that Santos would not win this year’s prize, but the committee "saw things differently."
"In our view there was no time to lose. The peace process was in danger of collapsing and needed all the international support it could get," she added in her presentation speech.
Santos received the prestigious award, which consists of a gold medal, a diploma and check for $870,000, at the ceremony.
The decades-old conflict in Colombia has killed at least 260,000 people, left some 60,000 missing and displaced seven million others, according to official figures.
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