The United States has welcomed an agreement reached between Colombia's Government and the rebel Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC-EP) on dealing with illicit drugs in the country.
In a statement issued Sunday, US Secretary of State John Kerry congratulated the Colombian government led by President Juan Manuel Santos for reaching the deal with the FARC rebels, stressing that curbing narcotics production and trafficking is central to achieving peace.
"The FARC has long been deeply involved in, and profited from, cocaine production and transshipment. Reducing cocaine trafficking, including through eradication and interdiction, helped establish the conditions for the peace process now underway," Kerry added.
Separately, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon also welcomed the agreement reached by the negotiating parties in the Cuban capital city of Havana last Friday. Notably, the deal requires the two sides working together to combat drug trafficking.
"A stepped up effort under this agreement to bring alternative development to regions plagued by illicit crops should mean a better life for many Colombians," said the UN chief in his statement. The agreement would also help counter the crime and violence associated with the trade in illegal narcotics.
The agreement is the latest step in the ongoing Havana-based peace talks between the Colombian Government and the rebel group, FARC. In November 2013, the parties had reached a deal on political participation and enhancing the role of women.
Some 600,000 people have died since the conflict between the country's authorities and the FARC began in the 1960s. The two sides are working to end the long-running conflict through full implementation of the General Agreement for the End of the Conflict and Building a Stable and Lasting Peace, signed two years ago.
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