Brazil asks Colombian political forces to continue working for peace

President Michel Temer and Foreign Minister José Serra said this Monday (Oct. 3) that, although Colombians rejected the peace deal with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), they should continue working for the end of the conflict in the country.

In a statement signed by both of them, Temer and Serra say that the Colombian political forces need to continue working towards a "peaceful solution" to the issue, even after the defeat of the referendum, held on Sunday (2).

Signed last Monday (26) by the Colombian government and FARC leaders, the landmark peace deal, forged after years of negotiations, was rejected by 50.21% of Colombia's population. Temer and Serra said they respect the "votes of the majority of Colombian people" and they are ready to "intensely" collaborate by working for peace in the country.

"We believe that one should not give up fighting for peace in the country. In this sense, we encourage the government, the FARC and all of Colombia's political forces to continue working towards a peaceful solution to this conflict, which has occurred for half a century and caused so much suffering to the Colombian people," the president and the foreign minister declare in the statement.

On Monday, Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos and FARC leader Rodrigo Londoño, known as Timoshenko, have expressed their interest in establishing a "stable and long-lasting" peace in Colombia, despite the referendum's result.

Translated by Amarílis Anchieta