UN hails 1st deal between Colombian govt, rebels

BOGOTA - A land reform deal between the Colombian government and the FARC rebel group was fundamental to the future peace process, the UN Representative to Colombia said Tuesday.

"Sometimes the first step is the hardest, but it is large and significant, as for other issues that have also been discussed, which are the core of the conflict," Fabrizio Hochschild said.

The Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) reached the key agreement Sunday at talks in Cuba, a step to ending the country's nearly 50-year armed conflict.

Hochschild said the UN would deliver a document with proposals by representatives from all walks of life at a forum in Bogota when the next round of talk starts.

The UN representative said this document would be very relevant to the second item of the negotiation agenda, including issues such as the demobilization of FARC members and their participation in Colombian politics.