Peace and Transitional Justice in Colombia

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President Juan Manuel Santos and FARC leader Rodrigo Londoño announced that within six months a final peace agreement should be signed.  Their optimism was based in large part on their agreement over how to deal with the issue of war crimes in the almost 70 years of conflict.  The still tentative understanding involves a controversial compromise between demands for justice and accountability, and the concessions necessary to induce the combatants to lay down their arms.  For the deal to have the force of law President Santos must convince Colombian voters that the tradeoff is justified in the name of a final peace deal.  Some human rights groups and many Colombians oppose the compromise.