Havana, May 17 (RHC), -- Cuba welcomed the most recent partial agreement reached this week between Colombia’s Revolutionary Armed Forces (FARC) and the government of Juan Manuel Santos on the issue of illegal drugs and crops and expressed its willingness to keep contributing to the peace process as a guarantor to the talks.

This new accord, which add to those announced last year on the integral agrarian development policy and on political participation, constitutes another important step forwards to reach peace in Colombia, said Cuba diplomat, Rodolfo Benitez.

Cuba, as a guarantor country and venue of the peace talks, “will keep contributing to the advancement of the peace talks and to a final accord to put an end to the armed conflict in Colombia and to the construction of stable and lasting peace in that South American nation,” said Benitez.

The Colombian government and the guerrillas issued a joint communiqué on Friday announcing their agreement to find a solution to the illegal drugs and crops, which is the fourth point on the peace agenda.

The accord includes the proposal of national integral programs to deal with the issue, and this establishes the replacement of illegal crops and the setting up of development programs with the participation of local communities; the implementation of drug consumption prevention actions, public health plans and a solution to the production, commercialization of illegal drugs.