Diaz-Canel attends signing of Colombia peace agreements

HAVANA, Cuba, Jun 9 (ACN) Miguel Diaz-Canel, First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba and President of the Republic, is attending today the closing of the third round of peace talks in Colombia, together with the president of that South American country, Gustavo Petro, and Commander Antonio Garcia, head of the National Liberation Army (ELN).

In the El Laguito Protocol Hall, in Havana, the ceremony of what is considered to be a historic day for Colombia will take place, since after 36 days of negotiations between the parties, a ceasefire will be agreed for the first time.

The Agreements and their respective protocols, which will be signed today, also refer to the participation of society in the peace-building process, and to humanitarian actions and dynamics.

I am going to sign a paper that can mean the beginning of an era of peace for this country, said Petro in Bogota before a massive and popular rally held on Wednesday.

On Twitter, Diaz-Canel affirmed that progress continues to be made on the road to peace in Colombia, sharing a message from his Colombian counterpart, who announced his trip to Havana and welcomed him to Cuba.

Petro is accompanied by Alvaro Leyva, Minister of Foreign Affairs; Carlos Ramon Gonzalez Merchan, Director of the Administrative Department of the Presidency, and Senator Maria Jose Pizarro, member of the national government's negotiating team.

The talks have had Brazil, Cuba, Chile, Mexico, Norway and Venezuela as guarantor countries; while Spain, Germany, Sweden and Switzerland have been accompanying the talks; and the Special Representative of the Secretary General of the United Nations and the Colombian Episcopal Conference are participating on a permanent basis.