COLOMBIAN communist guerilla leader Timochenko said the new accord signed by his movement and the government on Thursday was just the first step towards peace.

Rodrigo Londono, known by his nom de guerre Timoleon Jimenez or just Timochenko, spoke following the signing of the revised peace accord at Bogota’s Colon Theatre.

The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc) commander and President Juan Manuel Santos signed the agreement with a special pen made from a rifle cartridge.

Unlike the previous peace accord signed in September — and narrowly rejected in a referendum — the revised deal has been presented by Mr Santos to Congress, which is expected to approve it next week.

He said: “In 150 days, only 150 days, all of the Farc’s weapons will be in the hands of the United Nations.”

For his part, Timochenko said: “Our only weapons as Colombians should be our words. We are putting a definitive end to war to confront in a civilised manner our contradictions.”

The Farc leader said the next step must be an educational drive to combat right-wing and far-right media propaganda.

“This should give us more energy, more enthusiasm to continue working towards the next step, which is its implementation,” he added. “It’s not the president’s task, nor the bureaucracy’s, it’s our task.”

Timochenko said the Farc, which will now pursue a parliamentary path of struggle, would work to build links with all sectors of society.

“We need unity with all sides that want peace, no matter what ideological, political and religious views they have,” he insisted.

Last week’s killing of two Farc guerillas on their way to a demobilisation area, along with the murders of several peasant land reform campaigners, raised the spectre of the mid-1980s attempt at peace, which was drowned in blood.

Thousands of communists campaigning in elections were murdered by far-right death squads.

“Right-wing forces that don’t want peace will do the impossible to force those who want it to back down,” said Timochenko.

He stressed the need for “international organisations to really join the process, to protect those that could be targeted by the right wing.

“We can’t give them the satisfaction of backing down,” he added.

Opposition to ending the 52-year civil war has been led by death squad apologist former president Alvaro Uribe, now a senator.

Objecting to the agreement for reserved congressional seats for guerilla leaders, Mr Uribe told the Senate on Thursday: “I ask public opinion to reflect on what this means for the future of the country.”

We need you support to keep running. If you like what you read please donate by clicking here