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BOGOTA, Oct. 3 (Xinhua) -- Colombia woke up to political confusion on Monday, a day after a referendum narrowly rejected a peace agreement between the government of President Juan Manuel Santos and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).
As the country wondered what comes next after four years of negotiations were essentially torpedoed, Santos called an emergency political meeting between all sides at the presidential palace in Bogota.
However, he was in for a shock when the main opposition party, Democratic Center, led by former president Alvaro Uribe, declined the invitation.
After this rejection, the Democratic Center explained that "in order to identify the right steps to reach a national agreement, we want to express our willingness to meet with the delegates appointed by the national government."
Another statement put out by the Democratic Center on Monday contained a list of their demands, including for a deal that brings "political diversity without it being perceived as a prize for crimes."
A particular sticking point of the original agreement is that FARC members would have been pardoned, leaders confessing to crimes would not face prison and the group would be guaranteed seats in the House of Representatives and the Senate.
The No campaign has been clear that a renegotiated peace agreement should not pardon FARC members guilty of crimes against humanity but send them to jail.
Faced with this uncertainty, the government is scrambling to cobble together its response to the unexpected result.
Last night, Santos said he would be sending his chief negotiator, Humberto de la Calle, to begin discussions with the FARC.
Yet on Monday, de la Calle revealed he had offered his resignation to Santos, who rejected it.
"Peace has not been defeated. While the Democratic Center spokespersons have revealed they have objections, the desire for peace is universal and unanimous," he told the press.
The president of the Senate, Mauricio Lizcano, after meeting with Santos, said that time was needed to "create a broad and inclusive commission to open a national dialogue with the No side."
Reassuringly, the FARC have maintained a compassionate attitude. Yet in an official statement published on their website, the FARC said they would "remain faithful to what has been agreed to." This would seem to indicate the FARC may have little desire to renegotiate what they have already approved.
However, it is unsure how and if their process of disarmament, supposed to take place at security zones across the country overseen by the UN, will take place.
On Monday, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced he would be sending a special representative to Havana to continue with all talks.
The country's other main guerrilla group, the National Liberation Army (ELN), which is involved in its own talks with the government, continued for peace efforts to continue.
In a Twitter post, the ELN said that "despite the adverse results to the Havana agreement, Colombians must continue fighting for peace."
