Positive reactions to Colombia-Farc peace talks

Talks between the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc) was received positively by world leaders and multilateral organizations worldwide.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said through a spokesperson that he was pleased with the announcement.

“The secretary general hopes that this will be the start of a productive dialogue to address and resolve a conflict which has afflicted the Colombian people for almost five decades,” said U.N. spokesperson Martin Nesirky.

Organization of American States (OAS) Secretary General José Miguel Insulza celebrated the announcement and offered the organization’s assistance in the process.

Insulza expressed hope for the success of this effort and offered the Colombian government the collaboration of the OAS, “and my own, in any case in which it means advancing toward the peace that Colombian society and all the countries of the region desire.”

Insulza praised the progress represented by this approach and highlighted the prudence shown by Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos to explain the steps that have been taken in his strategy of dialogue with the guerrillas, with the ultimate goal of an end to the conflict.

Community of Andean Nations Secretary General Adalid Contreras welcomed Santos’ announcement.

“This is a process that involves exclusively the Colombian government, and the international community must observe it respectfully and in a discrete way, as to offer all the support that could be eventually needed,” he said.

The United States, a longtime partner of Colombia in its fight against terrorist organizations, also celebrated the announcement.

“We would welcome any efforts to end the hemisphere’s longest-running conflict and to bring about lasting peace in Colombia,” State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland told reporters. “

You know that we’ve been a very strong and unwavering partner of Colombia and its people in this struggle, and we hope that its citizens will find peace and security.”

European Union Foreign Policy Chief Catherine Ashton said, “It has always been the conviction of the European Union that only a negotiated solution can provide the basis for lasting peace in Colombia. 

I hope that this very positive development can mark the beginning of the end of Colombia’s five decade-old internal conflict.”