Bogotá, May 17 (PL-RHC) -- The House of Representatives of Colombia approved a draft bill to establish a legal peace framework in the country for a possible negotiation with armed groups within the law.

The draft bill was approved with 126 votes in favor and four against. It will now be debated in the Colombian Senate.

The voting occurred after an explosion in Bogotá’s financial district, allegedly targetting former Interior Minister Fernando Londoño.

In a message posted on his Twitter account, President Juan Manuel Santos expressed gratitude to the Congress for the approval of the draft bill despite the attack.

For the government, that draft bill will provide the president with the necessary tools to seek a possible end to the internal armed conflict through negotiations with irregular armed groups.

In other news from Colombia, Defense Minister Juan Carlos Pinzon told a news conference Wednesday that the government does not rule out any criminal or armed group as responsible for Tuesday’s attack in Bogotá, which killed two people and wounded 48.

Pinzon avoided referring to a police claim that the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) were behind the attack. He also said security will be tightened in the capital to avoid any other similar attack and that authorities will spare no effort to apprehend those responsible for the attack as soon as possible.

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