La Ruta del Sol: The two lane 1000 km highway will connect Bogota to the Port of Santa Marta in just ten hours! This is the biggest project of them all, this system of highways, bridges, and tunnels that will cost over a billion dollars and is said to be the largest infrastructure project in Latin America since the Panama Canal!
By the end of this decade, Bogota will be a much more modern city. These are historic times for Colombia and it's only the beginning. I can't wait!
By Simon on Feb 20, 2010, 15:21 in Friendly Talkzone.
.. first 4 comments ..
teeo9111 says on Feb 20, 2010, 15:36:
Completion date of 2016 for the Metro? Haha...I'll be pushing daisies before they finish that project.
shazam says on Feb 20, 2010, 16:05:
the metro will be wonderful...when it's finished. from now until then, it will be hell. 2016? more like 2036. I remember Athens, Greece projecting their subway...which took 30 years as well. it was hell all the years they were building...but it's lovely now.
Haddeman says on Feb 20, 2010, 16:30:
I love your eternal optimism Don Simon however as an pathological pessimist disappointment is easier to take.
I doubt I will see the completion of any of these fine and necessary projects in my lifetime ,you certainly won´t see them because you live in Miami!
Jorge Humberto Romero, a Colombian policeman recently freed by FARC rebels, is helped by with a medical personnel after arriving at Villavicencio airport April 2, 2012. Colombia's FARC rebels on Monday freed 10 members of the armed forces held hostage in jungle prison camps more than a decade, the first of a group of 10 captives the drug-funded group promised to release as a gesture of peace. REUTERS/Boris Heger/Red Cross/Handout
Colombia's largest rebel group released its final 10 military hostages on Monday, ending the 14-year-long nightmare for the victims and their families. The last 10 of the non-civilian hostages, four soldiers and six policemen, held captive for 14 years by the group, were picked up by the Red Cross rescue team from an unspecified site in a helicopter provided by the Brazilian government.
The rebel group Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, known by its Spanish initials FARC, has been resorting to kidnapping and drug trafficking to fund its decades-long war against the Colombian government.
The move has raised hopes of a dialogue between the rebels and the government to resolve the long conflict that started in the mid-1960s and has killed thousands.
President Juan Manuel Santos of Colombia hailed the release as an important step for peace talks in a televised interview, but added that it is not enough. He demanded that FARC should release those hundreds of civilian hostages believed to be still in captivity.
"It's not sufficient, the nation, the world, demands the liberty of all kidnap victims," Santos said in his speech. "I send a salute of freedom to the hostages, freedom that has been a long time coming. Let no one be mistaken. We will continue to fight against violence with all the resources at hand," he said as he vowed to fight the violence, according to a Los Angeles .. http://www.ibtimes.com/topics/detail/878/los-angeles/ .. Times report.
The Roman Catholic bishops of Colombia said in a statement Monday that the release was a "necessary first step ... to end the scourge of fratricidal conflict and advance on the path to peace."
The hostages were brought to the Villavicencio airport and all of them looked thin and tired but relieved. One of them had brought a wild pig along, apparently a pet, according to the report.
The rebel group in February had promised that they would not resort to anymore kidnapping, but the violence has continued. Both the government and the rebel group had initiated steps to end the conflict in the past, but none were successful.
Analysts say that both sides distrust each other and any concrete solution would require decisive and committed steps from both the parties.
"At the very least it's a first step that one should attempt to follow up with other actions on both sides. You want to try and build slowly a set of actions that reflect a greater degree of confidence that permits you to move forward with ways to actually end the conflict," said Mark L. Schneider, senior vice president of the International Crisis Group in Washington, to New York .. http://www.ibtimes.com/topics/detail/456/new-york/ .. Times.
To report problems or to leave feedback about this article, e-mail: s.vn@ibtimes.com To contact the editor, e-mail: editor@ibtimes.com This article is copyrighted by International Business Times, the business news leader
Colombians celebrate as peace deal is reached with Farc rebels
"Bogotá's age of rediscovery"
25 August 2016
VIDEO - The BBC's Natalio Cosoy says that there are still some Colombians who are wary of the new peace deal
Hundreds of Colombians have celebrated an historic peace accord between the government and left-wing Farc rebels, signed after 52 years of conflict.
The announcement was broadcast live on Wednesday from Havana, Cuba, where peace talks have been held for almost four years.
The conflict has killed an estimated 260,000 people and displaced millions.
President Juan Manuel Santos called the deal "the beginning of the end to the suffering, pain and tragedy of war".
'War is over'
"The Colombian government and the Farc announce that we have reached a final, full and definitive accord," Colombian government and Farc negotiators said in a joint statement.
The head of the Colombian delegation, Humberto de la Calle, and the chief Farc negotiator, Ivan Marquez, signed the agreement at a ceremony in Cuba.
Both sides have agreed to work together to address social exclusion, to deliver justice to the victims of the conflict and build a stable and enduring peace.
The agreement comes after two years of secret talks and almost four years of formal negotiations.
Reuters Colombian government negotiator Humberto de la Calle (right) and his Farc counterpart Ivan Marquez (left) signed the agreement as Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez watched
"We have reached our goal," said Mr de la Calle.
"The war is over but also there is also new beginning. This agreement opens the door to a more inclusive society," he added.
AP The announcement was broadcast live from Havana and was shown on large screens in the streets of Bogota
'Die in peace'
In Bogota, hundreds of people, many dressed in white, gathered at different points of the city waving the Colombian flag and cheering.
"I can die in peace because finally I'll see my country without violence with a future for my children," 57-year-old Orlando Guevara told the Associated Press news agency.
Farc negotiator Ivan Marquez said the Farc and the government had "won the most beautiful of all battles: the peace of Colombia".
Good news or coup against justice? Colombian ex-leaders react
AP
Most major dailies in Colombia backed the deal in their lead editorials.
Centre-right El Espectador praised the government's "bet on a structured, calm negotiation, with enough time for thought" while centre-left daily El Heraldo considered it "a historical step" that has the chance of "transforming the country".
Among those who commented were three former Colombian presidents.
Alvaro Uribe criticised the deal, saying it would promote "impunity" and expressed doubts as to whether the rebels - who financed themselves to a large extent by cocaine smuggling - would ever face drug trafficking charges.
Andres Pastrana, who tried and failed to reach a deal with the Farc while he was in office, said the agreement was "a coup d'etat against justice".
But Ernesto Samper, who is now secretary general of regional body Unasur, praised the deal as "good news" for Colombia and the region as a whole.
BBC Monitoring reports and analyses news from TV, radio, web and print media around the world.
The two sides had signed a bilateral ceasefire in June, paving the way for a final agreement.
"It has been a difficult job, with bright and dark moments," added Mr Marquez.
VIDEO - Watch to see what life is like inside a Farc camp [also linked above]
President Barack Obama phoned his Colombian counterpart, Juan Manuel Santos, to congratulate him on the deal.
"The president recognised this historic day as a critical juncture in what will be a long process to fully implement a just and lasting peace agreement that can advance security and prosperity for the Colombian people," said the White House in a statement.
'No winners or losers'
Under the terms of the agreement, the Farc will give up its armed struggle and join the legal political process.
AP Farc fighters have agreed to end their five-decade long struggle and lay down their arms for good
"There is no room for winners or losers when you achieve peace through negotiations," tweeted Farc negotiator Rodrigo Granda. "Colombia wins, death loses."
The left-wing rebels have been fighting Colombian government since 1964. It is the longest-running conflict in Latin America.
The deal will need to be approved by Colombians in a popular vote, which will take place on 2 October, Mr Santos announced.
"It will be the most important election of our lives," he said on national television shortly after the deal was signed.
Former President Alvaro Uribe is leading the campaign to get the agreement rejected.
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