Eamon Gilmore says EU will support Colombian peace accord

Former tánaiste and Labour leader Eamon Gilmore, who now serves as the EU's special envoy to the Colombian peace process, says he expects the European Union will have a significant role in the implementation of the peace accord agreed between the government of Colombia and the Farc rebel group.

The agreement, announced in Havana on Wednesday, will bring to an end more than half a century of armed conflict that has left more than 200,000 people dead.

Mr Gilmore was appointed as the EU's special envoy last year and has been "back and forward" to Bogotá and to the talks in Havana since then.

Speaking to The Irish Times in the wake of the announcement, Mr Gilmore said the EU's role in the process will intensify as it moves into the "implementation phase".

“ in May.

“There will be an EU trust fund and loan finance made available through the European Investment Bank,” he said.

The EU has also sponsored developments, such as a de-mining programme, which operate in co-operation with government and Farc forces.

Northern process

As minister for foreign affairs, Mr Gilmore was involved with the Northern bodies that arose from the Irish peace process.

"I was regularly asked in Havana and in Bogotá about the North Ireland peace process," he said. "People were very interested in how things were done here, and I suppose I can bring that perspective."

The agreement is expected to be signed formally in Bogotá at the end of September, said Mr Gilmore.

A referendum will held to approve it in October.

Unlike the Belfast Agreement, its passage is not a foregone conclusion. Concessions to Farc, including an amnesty for lower-ranking fighters and allowing many higher-ranking members to avoid prison once they co-operate with a truth and reconciliation process, are unpopular among some sections of the public.

Opposition

Former Colombian president

Alvaro Uribe

, is expected to lead a campaign of opposition to the deal, which he hopes will defeat the government of current president

Juan Manuel Santos

.

“One of the things that’s causing a lot of unease in Colombia is the transitional justice arrangements,” Mr Gilmore said.

“So I’ve been explaining that this part of the process was difficult in Ireland too, and people who were in prison were released after two years. It was difficult for many people – but it worked.”

Mr Gilmore’s involvement in the peace process is not the only Irish one.

After his appointment, Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams intimated to Mr Gilmore that former IRA members had been in contact with Farc to share their own peace process experiences.

Sinn Féin MLA Conor Murphy said there had been a number of trips to both Havana and Colombia by cross- party and cross-community delegations from the North to share their own experience of the peace process with their hosts.

“We talked about how the negotiations worked here and about how it was important to have plans for implementing the agreements,” Mr Murphy said yesterday.

“Also, we told them of the importance of international help when there are difficulties.”