More than a month after Colombian voters rejected a peace deal with the country's largest guerrilla group, negotiators in Havana late Saturday signed a new deal that President Juan Manuel Santos said addresses critics' concerns as it aims to end a half-century conflict that cost more than 220,000 lives. "The new deal is an opportunity to clear up doubts, but above all to unite us," said chief government negotiator Humberto de La Calle, who signed the accord along with rebel negotiator Luciano Marin, alias Ivan Marquez, in Cuba, moving to end a half-century-long conflict that has claimed more than 220,000 lives. The government and Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), who have been holding talks in Havana for four years, said they had incorporated the proposals of various sectors of society into the new accord. On Oct. 2, the original deal was narrowly rejected in a plebiscite and Santos has suggested that rather than put this deal up to a vote again, he may have it approved in congress. De la Calle described the text of the modified accord as "much better" than the previous one, but didn't say if or how it would be submitted to a referendum. Further details are expected to be released over the weekend. "We are convinced that this accord offers roads to peace that are viable and possible," he said. “Peace cannot wait anymore.”

However, former President Alvaro Uribe, who led opposition to the original deal said he asked for the opportunity for his camp and the victims of the conflict to briefly study the new accord before its implementation. The United States, in coordination with the Government of Colombia, will continue to support full implementation of the final peace agreement," he said in a statement.
The Government of Colombia and rebel group FARC announce a new peace deal after an earlier agreement was rejected by a referendum six weeks ago.