On August 26, 2012, in the House, El Laguito, the complex of mansions of Cuban diplomacy, the

document marked the beginning of the peace process was signed. They closed that day six
months in confidential talks had begun on February 23 in the same place, after a long period of
exchange of messages between the guerrillas and the government, which facilitated Valley
entrepreneur Henry Acosta.

The first meeting was attended by the FARC, Mauricio Jaramillo and Rodrigo Granda, as heads of
delegation. Months ago it was anticipated that the delegation was headed by 'Timoshenko'. But
the death of Alfonso Cano, after a bombing in November 2011, forced the change. They
accompanied them on the technical side Marcos Calarca, Andres Paris, and Hermes Aguilar. By
the Government, the delegation was led by the High Commissioner, Sergio Jaramillo, and Frank
Pearl, accompanied by Enrique Santos, Alejandro der and Jaime Avendano.

There was talk of talks and made it clear that the purpose of the dialogue would be the end of
the conflict. Both agreed but the positions were quite distant. In fact, extreme. The government
came up with a proposed agenda restricted to disarmament and guarantees for the return to
civilian life. No more. The FARC put on the table his Bolivarian platform and resume the agenda
that had been agreed in the Caguan, who played such broad issues as the economic model.
Proposal rejected by the Government. Therefore, he started a design stage of a new agenda that
after six months had six points and a preamble. The government wanted to make a schedule of
three months, probably because he planned to announce the dialogues in the Summit of the
Americas, which proved impossible.

In the second game he started talking about the contents and methodology of the talks, but in
the third was a crisis that brought both will stand on the table and say "goodbye, it was not
possible". The issue of contention was the surrender of weapons, a term that the FARC did not
accept. They were already writing the press to inform the country not only had approaches
peace, but these were frustrated before when the guarantors, Cuba and Norway, as well as
President Hugo Chavez made the necessary moves to find a formula . "Abdication" of weapons:
Amid the diplomatic efforts a mutually acceptable phrase was built. Term that still causes
controversy.
Achieving the framework document forced the end to delegations to work during July of that
year, 17 days in a row without stopping. In the House acrylic panels they were installed and each
delegate had markers were building among all the sentences, deleting and putting words as they
moved smoking or drinking coffee in the large room of the mansion.

On August 12 of that year finally was ready text and the parties came to consult with their
people. Government delegates with the president and the FARC with their extended direction.
There were objections. Some in the guerrilla believed that their delegates had yielded too much.
The agenda items were what some analysts have called very "ring-fenced" and issues such as
the economic model conspicuous by their absence.

The contradiction was resolved within the guerrilla ranks with the idea that the preamble of the
agreement was very large and allowed to talk about everything that was not agreed on six
points. That was the main reason for discord when made public dialogues: the FARC considered
binding the preamble and the Government. And it has been part of an ongoing contradiction in
the rhetoric of both delegations.

Although there were tense episodes and crises in the exploratory phase a trust that has never
been achieved in the public phase replicate or transfer to new offices built. Confidentiality greatly
helped the positions were sincere. In the public phase, which began in September 2012, the
rhetoric and policies of each of the parties demands generated distance. Too much, perhaps.

Following consultations, the document was signed that on August 26 in the House, with the
presence of Foreign Minister of Cuba. A few days later, a draft (not the end) of the document was
made public by leaks in Telesur and RCN Radio. On September 4 Santos and 'Timoshenko' made
official the start of the peace process in separate speeches on television. The president said it
would be a process of months and not years.

The reality is that the Bureau needs time to design agreements and do well. And that political
tensions in the country have interfered in the process itself. Three years later, the time is still one
of the strong pressure on the process. But few doubt that reaching an agreement. The question is
whether the agreement reached will be acceptable and sufficient to change something in a
country with so many quality problems.

The process started three years ago is entering its final stage. long it is missing yet, but the end
of the conflict is closer than ever. And this picture will be remembered as a key moment in the
history of Colombia .

Article taken from the magazine SEMANA -August 21, 2015