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Colombia's Santos takes office hoping to end 50 years of violence

Cindy Arnson

Program Director Cynthia J. Arnson is quoted in The Miami Herald in regards to Colombia's Santos taking office.

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Even so, most believe a peace deal will be signed in coming months. Negotiators have already reached agreements on three out of the six parts of the peace plan. A delegation of 60 victims, who have suffered at the hands of the guerrillas, the state and demobilized paramilitary groups, will be heading to Cuba soon. And as negotiators tackle the issue of how to deal with victims they’re also looking at the final points: ending the armed confrontation and verification mechanisms.

Cynthia Arnson, the director of the Latin America Program at the Woodrow Wilson Center, predicts “very rocky” times ahead as negotiators enter delicate territory.

“As they discuss the issue of victims of the conflict it’s inevitable that they will talk about questions of impunity for those who have committed war crimes and are responsible for gross human rights violations,” she said. “And that will be a very, very difficult issue as it is in any peace process.”

The real troubles may come once a deal is signed, said César Valderrama, the president of the Datexco polling firm. During his hard-fought reelection campaign, Santos often portrayed the peace agreement as silver bullet for the country.

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2014/08/06/4275522/colombias-santos-takes-office.html#storylink=cpy

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About the Author

Cindy Arnson

Cynthia J. Arnson

Distinguished Fellow, Latin America Program
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Latin America Program

The Wilson Center’s prestigious Latin America Program provides non-partisan expertise to a broad community of decision makers in the United States and Latin America on critical policy issues facing the Hemisphere. The Program provides insightful and actionable research for policymakers, private sector leaders, journalists, and public intellectuals in the United States and Latin America. To bridge the gap between scholarship and policy action, it fosters new inquiry, sponsors high-level public and private meetings among multiple stakeholders, and explores policy options to improve outcomes for citizens throughout the Americas. Drawing on the Wilson Center’s strength as the nation’s key non-partisan policy forum, the Program serves as a trusted source of analysis and a vital point of contact between the worlds of scholarship and action.  Read more

Latin America Program

The Wilson Center’s prestigious Latin America Program provides non-partisan expertise to a broad community of decision makers in the United States and Latin America on critical policy issues facing the Hemisphere. The Program provides insightful and actionable research for policymakers, private sector leaders, journalists, and public intellectuals in the United States and Latin America. To bridge the gap between scholarship and policy action, it fosters new inquiry, sponsors high-level public and private meetings among multiple stakeholders, and explores policy options to improve outcomes for citizens throughout the Americas. Drawing on the Wilson Center’s strength as the nation’s key non-partisan policy forum, the Program serves as a trusted source of analysis and a vital point of contact between the worlds of scholarship and action.  Read more