Venezuela´s Maduro: Peace in Colombia means peace in the region

HAVANA, Cuba, Jun 23 (acn) Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said upon his arrival in Havana that the peace in Colombia means peace in the Americas,

Maduro arrived in Cuba late at night on Wednesday to participate in the signing of the ceasefire accords between the Colombian government and the FARC-EP guerrilla. He was received at the airport by Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez.

The Venezuelan leader described as historical this event, and congratulated Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos ¨for this move forward, a gigantic step¨

He highlighted the role played by late President Hugo Chavez, ¨one of the persons that initiated this process¨ that has Cuba and Norway as guarantors , and Venezuela and Chile as observers.

The final bilateral ceasefire will be signed this Thursday at noon with the presence of the Colombian President, and the guerrilla Commander Timoleón Jiménez, along several world leaders.

Presidents Michelle Bachelet from Chile, Salvador Sanchez from El Salvador, Danilo Medina from the Dominican Republic will be present, as well as UN Secretary-general Ban Ki Moon, and other top officials of the international body.

The United States sent Special Envoy for the Colombian Peace Process Bernie Aronson and the European Union sent its special envoy Eamon Gilmore