Brussels, 24/06/2016 (Agence Europe) - On Thursday 23 June, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Federica Mogherini, described the official announcement made by Havana regarding the end to hostilities between the Colombian government and the FARC guerrillas on Thursday 23 June as "a historic moment".
In a press release she stated "The agreement on the ceasefire and the end of hostilities by the Government of Colombia and the FARC-EP is a turning-point in the Colombian peace process and brings us closer to the Peace Agreement". She appealed for the National Liberation Army (ELN), the second biggest rebel group after the FARC, to follow this example and put an end to the violence.
The EU's Special Envoy, Eamon Gilmore, kept the EU High Representative up to speed on the negotiations and pointed out that the European Union had put an envelope worth €575 million on the table to help the peace process in Colombia (see EUROPE 11560). (Original version in French by Mathieu Bion)