Jiménez posted on the #DesescalamientoYa page, where he has been reporting on the progress of peace talks with the Colombian government aiming to bring the conflict to a peaceful end.

FARC-EP spokespersons recently requested the Colombian government to establish a mutual truce in order to move toward a definitive bilateral ceasefire.

The rebel group declared an autonomous ceasefire on July 20, the sixth of its kind, with the aim of reducing civilian casualties and advancing toward ending the conflict.
The initiative was followed by a presidential order to cease air strikes on insurgent camps, but hostilities continue with ground operations.
In other posts Jiménez denounced actions which threaten the unilateral agreement reached three months ago, including the persistence of military operations in areas where regiments under his command are based.
President Juan Manuel Santos noted the possibility of declaring a permanent ceasefire beginning January 1 or even earlier as a Christmas present to the nation, meanwhile the FARC-EP has requested that the Colombian government declare an immediate ceasefire.

As a result of the peace talks taking place in Cuba since 2012, the two parties have reached agreement on issues such as comprehensive agrarian reform, political participation with a focus on democratic processes, and the fight against drug trafficking.
They have also agreed to the creation of a Special Jurisdiction for Peace, a mechanism which prioritizes the rights of the victims and is to focus on truth seeking, reparations and guarantees of non-repetition; as well as an accord on disappeared persons, and a programtoclearrural areas of landmines, already begun in Antioquia.

(Granma)

He said that the step would generate an environment conducive to advancing with regards to the outstanding items on the peace talks’ agenda.

“We are pleased to announce that this special jurisdiction for peace has been designed for everyone involved in the conflict, combatants and non-combatants, and not just one of the sides,” he said.

From a primarily restorative perspective, this jurisdiction opens up the possibilities of offering the detailed and complete truth about the conflict, in order to lay the foundations for reparation and non-repetition, to guarantee the rights of victims and meet the expectations of society in terms of reconciliation, he added.

The Special Jurisdiction for Peace, which establishes a model that fully respects Colombia’s international obligations and humanitarian norms, will surely be observed and taken into account in other peace processes, he noted.

It is now for the parties to redouble their efforts aimed at building a consensus that will bring us closer to a bilateral ceasefire, to definitions regarding the surrender of weapons and the transformation of the FARC-EP into a legal political movement, generating specific conditions such as the dismantling of paramilitaries, he concluded.

(Granma)