Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos met with former President Alvaro Uribe on Wednesday to discuss how to work out their differences after the public rejected a referendum on Sunday that would have concluded a peace deal with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia.
Uribe had opposed the truce since officials announced in August that the four years of negotiations were nearing completion. The former president’s “no” campaign ultimately cost Santos the Sunday vote by less than half a percentage point, dealing a devastating blow to government and rebel leaders.
Both men said they still intend to find an outcome to ending the 52-year war, which has resulted in the deaths of 220,000 people and millions of displaced residents.
The talk lasted more than three hours. Uribe emerged from the discussion saying all parties realized there were changes to make to the new truce that would be necessary in order to meet the public’s desires.
“We identified that many of their worries come from points that need clarification or precisions. Today we began to work with them to firm up those points and resolve their doubts,” Santos said in a brief statement.
The decision to re-open talks now lies with rebel leaders, said Santos.
The U.S. State Department had assisted in brokering a deal in the South American country. Both parties’ officials have consulted with U.S. officials in Havana, Cuba, throughout the deal-making process.
