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The UN Security Council has approved the creation of an unarmed mission in Colombia to oversee a bilateral ceasefire, if Farc rebels and the government signs a peace agreement.
The 15-member council unanimously adopted a British-drafted resolution that would establish a political mission for 12 months “to monitor and verify the definitive bilateral ceasefire and cessation of hostilities, and the laying down of arms.”
In a televised speech on Monday night, Colombian President, Juan Manuel Santos, said: “Today, Colombia is the synonym for hope in the world”.
“The decision taken by the Security Council means that from now we are not alone – but that we go hand in hand with the UN, with the whole world – toward the end of this war,” said Santos, who staked his 2014 re-election on the peace talks with Farc.
The mission would have a one-year mandate that can be extended if both sides request it.
Negotiators for the two sides issued a joint request for the UN’s involvement last week during peace talks in Cuba.
They have set a deadline of March 23 for the signing of a peace accord.
The UN “political mission” would consist of unarmed observers from Latin American and Caribbean nations.
Colombia has seen decades of fighting between the government and the left-wing Farc movement, with more than 220,000 people killed and millions displaced. It is the longest-running armed conflict in the western hemisphere.
The UN resolution asked Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, to make detailed recommendations on the mission’s size and operation to be approved by the security council within 30 days of a ceasefire.
Last week, the Colombian government’s lead negotiator, Humberto de la Calle, described the request to the UN as a “transcendental” moment.
He said it was an “unequivocal demonstration of our desire to end confrontation”.
Since official peace talks started in Havana in November 2012, negotiators have reached agreement on key issues such as the political participation of the rebels, land rights, drug trafficking and transitional justice.
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