Colombia Looks to Speed up Implementation of FARC Peace Deal

The Colombia government and leaders of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia or FARC, began Saturday a two-day meeting to speed up the implementation of the peace agreement that brings an end to the country’s long-running internal armed conflict.

RELATED: Jose Mujica, Felipe Gonzalez to Oversee Colombia’s Peace Accord

“In this meeting, we will make a progress assessment with the purpose of making the necessary decisions to accelerate the implementation of the agreements,” said both parties in a joint statement.

Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos and FARC leader Rodrigo Londoño, also known as Timoleon Jimenez or “Timochenko,” headed the meetings in the city of Cartagena, a tourist hub located on the Caribbean Sea.

“We are not going to renegotiate or open the door to renegotiate the agreements, of course if we can achieve improvements in the agreements they are welcome, but it has to be mutually agreed between the parties,” said Santos Friday.

According to the measures outlined in the agreement, 7,000 guerrilla members are now gathered in 19 transition zones across the country where they are expected to leave their weapons and begin their reintegration into Colombian society after decades in the jungle.

RELATED: State Violence Is the Cause of Colombian Conflict Says ELN

The disarmament process, coordinated with the United Nations, is expected to be completed by early June, and the former members of the rebel group will form a political party.

Former President Alvaro Uribe, the strongest opponent of the peace agreement, has been critical of the fact that the deal paves the way for the FARC to become a legal political force in the country’s elections.

Four months ago, Colombia reached a peace deal to end the 52 years of armed conflict that has claimed the lives of more than a quarter of a million Colombians and displaced more than 7 million more.