29/05/2013 (Agence Europe) - Catherine Ashton welcomes government-FARC agreement on land reform. On 27 May, High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton “warmly” welcomed the announcement the previous day by the Colombian government and the FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) that an agreement on land reform had been reached in their peace negotiations. Underlining that the issue of land and rural development lies at the heart of Colombia's armed conflict, Ashton hoped that this “crucial, albeit partial, agreement” would add fresh impetus to the negotiations, “with a view to the rapid conclusion of a final peace agreement that would allow Colombia to enter into a full-fledged peace-building phase”. She called on the government and the FARC to continue to negotiate and cooperate in a spirit of goodwill and constructiveness. (CG/transl.fl)