Colombia's president says he will consult with the opposition and leaders of the country's largest rebel movement following a shock defeat of a peace accord in a nationwide referendum Sunday.
In a much-anticipated televised address, President Juan Manuel Santos said he will leave in place a cease-fire with the rebels while trying to save the peace accord. He says the accord represents the best option for Colombia to put behind it more than a half century of hostilities with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia.
Santos also said he has ordered government negotiators to return to Cuba on Monday to consult with leaders of the FARC.
The president says: "I won't give up. I'll continue search for peace until the last moment of my mandate."
Meanwhile, the leader of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia is reiterating the rebel group's willingness to continue working toward peace.
Speaking to journalists in Havana after Sunday's referendum results, the FARC leader known widely by his nom de guerre Timochenko referred to the FARC as a political movement instead of a rebel army.
He says he regrets that what he calls "the destructive power of those who sow hatred and rancor have influenced the opinion of the Colombian population." He says the FARC will keep working to build a stable peace.
In his words, "Peace will triumph."
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