Rubio Statement on Colombians' Rejection of Peace Agreement

Statement

U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) issued the following statement today regarding the Colombian people's rejection of the government's peace agreement with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC):

"The Colombian people have spoken through the democratic process, and the United States must respect their will and move forward in writing the next chapter of our strong alliance. Our nations were committed to a common security and economic agenda well before this vote, and now we must continue working together to achieve those goals. Our close military and economic alliance will endure and hopefully hasten a lasting peace in Colombia‎.

"Ultimately, it's the Colombian people who will decide what an acceptable end to decades of conflict with the FARC should look like and, according to them, this agreement was not it. In the coming days, weeks and months ahead, it is my hope the lessons learned from the Colombian people through this process can be applied to eventually bring this conflict to a formal end.

"The FARC remains a U.S.-designated foreign terrorist organization, and is responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands and the displacement of millions within Colombia. Any peace agreement with such an organization must have the backing of a majority of the Colombian people and be fair to the victims of the many atrocities committed by the FARC."

Source