http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/14/opinion/the-man-blocking-peace-in-colombia.html 2016-10-14 10:32:13 The Man Blocking Peace in Colombia A former Colombian president who set the stage for peace talks with rebels holds the key to salvaging or thwarting the accord. === A history book about It is not too late for Mr. Uribe, who remains popular among many Colombians, to begin behaving like a statesman rather than a spoiler. The choices he makes in the weeks ahead may well determine whether the peace deal his successor, The Colombian voters This week, Mr. Santos announced that his government In order for the FARC deal to get back on track, and for talks with the ELN to succeed, Mr. Uribe will need to play a constructive role. After the referendum, Mr. Uribe made a series of unrealistic demands on the peace deal with the FARC, including scrapping the transitional justice system with a special tribunal that was at the heart of the deal. That tribunal would offer amnesty to most rank-and-file fighters and leniently punish guerrilla members who confess to grave crimes. If Mr. Uribe has a better, workable idea, he should dispatch a delegation to Havana, where the FARC leaders are currently based, to seek compromises on issues involving justice and political participation. If all sides are willing to negotiate in good faith, a final peace agreement could be reached before the end of the year. In recent days, thousands of Colombians who support the peace agreement If the fight drags on beyond this year, international aid pledged for the implementation of the peace deal will very likely start to fizzle. The United Nations, for instance, has already sent teams of observers, who will monitor compliance with the agreement and take custody of the weapons of the rebel fighters. Those teams cannot be expected to wait around indefinitely for a political breakthrough. While the Santos government and the FARC have said they are committed to observing a cease-fire that has held for over a year, fresh outbreaks of violence will become more likely the longer the impasse lasts. A return to fighting, which can’t be ruled out, would be catastrophic. If that were to happen, Mr. Uribe would be chiefly to blame.