Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent reports he has received of progress made in the Colombian peace process.

The UK continues to monitor the situation in Colombia closely as part of our ongoing support towards the peace talks. Talks continue in Havana and both sides are working to meet the 23 March deadline. However, the priority is reaching a sustainable agreement, not the exact date. Our Embassy in Bogota reported that, on 9 March, President Santos spoke about progress made in the peace process. He emphasised that the importance was signing an acceptable agreement, stating “I am not going to sign a bad agreement just for the sake of meeting a deadline”. I congratulate both parties on the agreements reached thus far. I understand that two negotiating points are still under discussion: the implementation of the peace deal and end of conflict issues.