Colombia peace deal defeated

Colombia’s government and Marxist FARC guerrillas will scramble on Monday to revive a plan to end their 52-year war after voters rejected the hard-negotiated deal as too lenient on the rebels in a shock result that plunged the nation into uncertainty.

Putting on a brave face after a major political defeat, President Juan Manuel Santos offered hope to those who backed his four-year peace negotiation with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) in Cuba.

Latin America’s longest conflict has killed 220,000 people.

“I will not give up, I will keep seeking peace until the last minute of my term,” he said moments after losing Sunday’s plebiscite to those who want a re-negotiation of the deal or an obliteration of the FARC on the battlefield.

Santos plans to meet all political parties on Monday and send lead government peace negotiator Humberto de la Calle back to Havana to speak to the FARC leadership.

Rodrigo Londono, the top FARC commander better known by his nom de guerre Timochenko, said the rebels are prepared to “fix” the peace deal.

“There are various ways to read (the referendum result) and we must analyse them to see what needs to be fixed,” Londono said.

COLOMBIA DROPPED AS NOBEL PEACE PRIZE FAVOURITE

Peace researchers dropped Colombia on Monday from a list of favourites for the Nobel Peace Prize after Colombians voted “No” in the referendum.

Sunday’s surprise rejection of the accord improved chances for other Nobel candidates such as Russian human rights activists or brokers of Iran’s nuclear deal to take the peace award, they said. Santos and Timochenko had until now been serious contenders for the award.