Colombian government to sign modified deal after referendum rejection

Colombia's government has signed a new peace agreement with Farc rebels, after the initial deal between the two sides was rejected by a referendum last month.

Peace negotiators and leaders of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, a leftist rebel group which waged a conflict lasting over 50 years, came to an agreement on Tuesday about the new deal.

Strong resistance to the document came from former president Alvaro Uribe and his supporters. The motion will once again face opposition from Uribe and other conservatives, who believe the changes that have been made are cosmetic and do not address the real issue.

The former president has been pushing for another referendum on the modified agreement, but both he government and Farc representatives are keen to ratify the deal in congress.

"We have the unique opportunity to close this painful chapter in our history that has bereaved and afflicted millions of Colombians for half a century," current president Juan Manuel Santos said in a televised address on Tuesday.

An emotial ceremony surrounded the signing of the original document two months ago, but after the people's rejection of it, the new deal will be signed with a much smaller event in the capital of Bogota.