New York, 30 November (RHC) – The United Nations Security Council on Thursday urged the parties of the Colombian Peace Accords to redouble efforts to accelerate progress in their implementation in the coming weeks and months.

In a statement to the press, the body´s 15 members marked the one-year anniversary of the signing and entry-into-force of the peace agreement between the Government of Colombia and the Revolutionary Armed Forces (FARC-EP.)

The Council members conveyed their congratulations to the parties for the achievements of the peace process and welcomed the successful completion of the FARC-EP’s laying down of arms to UN monitors in August, calling it “a major milestone in the transition between war and peace.”

The statement stressed that the peace process has sparked high hopes and expectations around the world and continues to provide inspiration for those seeking to end conflicts elsewhere.

It also reiterated the Council’s “full support to the parties as they seek to turn the end of the conflict into a stable and lasting peace by working to fully implement the peace agreement beyond the laying down of arms, and they further underlined the importance of “upholding the political participation of the FARC-EP now that they have laid down their arms, in accordance with the peace agreement.”

Two weeks ago, the president of FARC party, Rodrigo Londoño (Timochenko) warned the United Nations about the failure by the Colombian government to comply with some elements of the accords.

In a letter addressed to the UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, the former guerrilla leader voiced alarm about the way in which the Colombian state is implementing the agreements.

Particularly he made reference to the decisions adopted in the Colombian Congress and in the Constitutional Court regarding the peace laws, that underwent modifications contrary to what was agreed in Havana.