Holguín thanks Norway for role in Colombian peace agreement

Colombian Foreign Minister Maria Angela Holguin and FARC leader Rodrigo Londono Echeverri, also known as Timoleon Jimenez and Timochenko, meet Foreign Minister Børge Brende.Photo: Håkon Mosvold Larsen / NTB scanpix

Columbian Foreign Minister, Maria Ángela Holguín, said International support, especially from Norway and Cuba, was crucial for putting a peace agreement in place in Colombia.

‘Thank you Norway. Your support, and support from the entire international community, was crucial for the entire peace process,’ said Holguín, who is in Norway, together with the head of the Colombian rebel movement, FARC, Rodrigo ‘Timoshenko’ Londoño, to attend the Foreign Ministry Conference of the Oslo Forum.
 
It’s the first time they’ve met outside Colombia.
 
‘This is a historic moment,’ said Foreign Minister,  Børge Brende Høyre (H) when he talked to the two about the efforts to end 52 years of armed conflict, in front of a large audience at the Literature House (Litteraturhuset) in Oslo on Thursday.
 
The foreign minister asked, among other things, how the parties managed to build trust in each other after so many years of warfare.
 
‘It’s been a long process. We aren’t  finished yet’, said Holguín, who particularly drew attention to the efforts of Norwegian peace broker, Dag Nylander.
 
For four years in the Cuban capital of Havana, the two parties negotiated, with Norway as one of the organisers, before a final agreement was signed in November last year.
 
‘Now, there is no way back,’ said Holguini’s former archenemy, Londoño, to massive applause from the audience.

 

Source: NTB scanpix / Norway Today