This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-37548493

The article has changed 5 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 3 Version 4
Colombia's President Santos tries to save peace deal Colombia's President Santos keeps up push for Farc peace deal
(35 minutes later)
Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos has appointed a team of senior government officials to launch talks with the opposition on changes to a peace deal with the Farc rebel group. Following Colombians' surprise rejection of a peace agreement with the Farc rebel group, President Juan Manuel Santos is seeking dialogue with those who opposed the peace deal.
Mr Santos made the announcement after meeting with political party leaders. Mr Santos appointed three top officials to "sit down for talks and guide this peace process to a happy ending".
The peace deal was rejected by a narrow margin in a referendum on Sunday. The "no" campaign was led by ex-President Alvaro Uribe, who wants to see parts of the deal "corrected".
Former President Alvaro Uribe, who led the "no" campaign, did not attend the meeting but appointed three negotiators to hold talks with the government. The two sides are expected to meet for the first time on Tuesday.
Mr Uribe, a senator and leader of the Democratic Centre party, wants rebels who committed serious crimes to serve prison sentences and for some of the Farc leaders to be banned from politics. How did Colombia get here?
The peace deal was signed last week after nearly four years of negotiations, which were held in the Cuban capital, Havana. The peace agreement was reached after four years of formal talks in the Cuban capital, Havana, between government and Farc negotiators.
For the agreement to be implemented, putting an end to 52 years of conflict, it would have had to be ratified by the Colombian people in a referendum. From early on in the negotiations, President Santos announced he would put the final agreement to the Colombian people in a "yes" or "no" vote.
Pre-election polls had indicated a strong victory for the "yes" camp. The deal was signed in a emotional ceremony on 26 September, just days before the referendum.
But in a surprise result, 50.2% of voters rejected the agreement. During the ceremony, rebel leader Rodrigo Londono, better known as Timochenko, asked the victims of the Farc for forgiveness.
The difference was about 54,000 votes out of almost 13 million ballots. Turnout was low with fewer than 38% of voters casting their votes. Polls suggested the agreement would be approved by a comfortable margin.
President Santos said last week there was no "Plan B" for ending the conflict, which has killed about 260,000 people. But as the results came in, it soon became clear that opposition to the agreement had been stronger than expected. The deal was rejected by 50.2% of voters.
Since the result has been announced, however, both Mr Santos and the Farc have affirmed their determination to continue working to secure a peace deal. The deep-seated divisions of Colombians on the issue became clear as some took to the streets to celebrate the result while others could be seen crying and despondent in front of the giant screens on which the results had been transmitted.
"I will not give up, I will keep seeking peace until the last minute of my term," he said in an address after the results were announced. What is President Santos going to do now?
Farc leader Timoleon Jimenez, better known as Timochenko, said the rebels would continue to abide by a bilateral ceasefire agreed with the Colombian government. President Santos, who won a second term in office in 2014 on a promise of reaching a peace deal with the Farc, has insisted he "will not give up".
The chief peace negotiator for the government, Humberto de la Calle, offered to resign earlier on Monday, saying he took "full responsibility for any errors in the negotiation". On Monday, he despatched his lead negotiator, Humberto de la Calle, back to Cuba to talk to the Farc negotiators there.
He was earlier ordered back to the Cuban capital of Havana to work with rebel leaders on modifying the deal. He also appointed a team of top officials to open a dialogue with the opponents of the agreement.
Mr Santos rejected his resignation and, instead, appointed him to lead the "national dialogue" team that will try to save the peace process. They are: Foreign Minister Maria Angela Holguin, Defence Minister Luis Carlos Villegas and Mr de la Calle.
The other two members in Mr Santos's team are Foreign Minister Maria Angela Holguin and Defence Minister Luis Carlos Villegas. He said Colombia "needs unity, we have to leave behind our quarrels, the hatred and the polarisation which causes us so much damage".
Mr Uribe appointed three senior politicians from his party for the talks: Oscar Ivan Zuluaga, Carlos Holmes Trujillo and Ivan Duque. He said he hoped a meeting with the three politicians chosen to represent those who campaigned for a "no" vote could take place as soon as possible.
Who voted how? What are the plans of those opposed to the agreement?
Colombia was divided regionally with most of the outlying provinces voting in favour of the agreement and those nearer the capital and inland voting against it. Mr Uribe has welcomed the outcome of the popular vote as a chance to "fix" a number of points in the peace agreement he considers unacceptable.
In Choco, one of the provinces hardest hit by the conflict, 80% of voters backed the deal. The capital, Bogota, also voted "yes" with 56%. He wants the negotiations with the Farc to be re-opened so that a "peace with justice" can be negotiated.
But in the eastern province of Casanare - where farmers and landowners have been extorted for years by the Farc - 71.1 % rejected the deal. Mr Uribe argues that the present agreement is too lenient because rebels who confess to committing serious crimes will not serve time in ordinary prisons.
Most of those who voted "no" said they thought the peace agreement was letting the rebels "get away with murder". He has appointed politicians Oscar Ivan Zuluaga, Ivan Duque and Carlos Holmes Trujillo to a commission which will seek to find common ground between the government and those opposed to the peace deal.
Under the deal, special courts would have been created to try crimes committed during the conflict. The commission is expected to meet later on Tuesday.
Those who confessed to their crimes would have been given more lenient sentences. What do the Farc rebels say?
Many Colombians also balked at the government's plan to pay demobilised Farc rebels a monthly stipend and to offer those wanting to start a business financial help. Farc leader Timochenko said in a video message from Cuba that "peace had come to stay".
"No" voters said this amounted to a reward for criminal behaviour while honest citizens were left to struggle financially. He said that the rebels would continue to observe the bilateral ceasefire they had signed with the government.
Others were unhappy that under the agreement, the Farc would be guaranteed 10 seats in Congress. He also said that the rebels would abide by what they had agreed with the Colombian government.
Read more about the deal's most contentious points "The war-mongering of those who want to sabotage this peace with dignity will never be stronger than the feelings of harmony, inclusion and social justice," he added.
Earlier he had said that the rebels were prepared to "fix" the deal and that the result of Sunday's vote "does not mean the battle for peace is lost".
What does the 'no' campaign want?
Among the "corrections" those opposed to the deal have demanded are, among others:
·That those found guilty of crimes be barred from running for public office
·That Farc leaders serve time in prison for crimes committed
·That the Farc use their illicit gains to pay their victims compensation
·That no changes be made to the Colombian constitution
What are the challenges?
If negotiations are re-opened, there are likely to be three parties at the table: the Farc, the government, and the "no" camp,.
Analysts say this is likely to make the negotiations more complicated.
The main challenge will be to find common ground between the "no" camp, which believes aspects of the deal were too soft on the rebels, and the rebel negotiators, who aim to get the best conditions for their fighters.