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	Gabriel García Márquez and the peace process in Colombia an article by David Adams, CPNN Coordinator The passing of the great Colombian writer, Gabriel García Márquez, is being seen by all sides of the conflict in that country as an inspiration to complete the peace process and arrive at a Colombia in peace. Photo of Gabriel García Márquez from Tusmedios click on photo to enlarge The President of the Republic, Juan Manuel Santos Calderón, said the following as he officiated at the ceremony at the Cathedral of Bogota in memory of the writer who died in Mexico on Thursday 17 April: "Today we gather in this First Cathedral in the Plaza de Bolivar in our capital , through the media, to pay the tribute of our affection. Gabriel García Márquez sought peace, he worked for peace, he always wanted a Colombia in peace and, in his memory, we will not falter in this task, the greatest task we have as a nation." On the other side of the conflict, The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC ) rebels said that with his departure "Colombia loses and the whole world loses." They announced that they will "make peace" as Gabriel García Márquez always wanted. "With the farewell of this magnificent man, we reiterate in the words of Aureliano Buendia that we will make the dream of peace, a quiet country where we can make fish from gold without destroying our environment." Aureliano Buendia is a main character in the great novel of Marquez, One Hundred Years of Solitude. Meanwhile, the Congress of Colombia said that "the signing of a peace agreement between the government and the FARC is the best tribute we can give the writer Gabriel García Márquez." Senate President Juan Fernando Cristo, said that Márquez, who won the 1982 Nobel Prize for Literature, was a " tireless advocate" for peace in his country, so that a solution to half a century of war in Colombia , would be the best tribute to his memory. "He rendered great service to the country in the search for a negotiated solution to the conflict, but he left us before he could see a Colombia in peace. Hopefully this year Colombians will give him the best tribute by achieving peace,"		DISCUSSION Question(s) related to this article: What is happening in Colombia, Is peace possible?
This report was posted on April 25, 2014.