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High in the Andean mountains of Ecuador, Tony, a large, male spectacled bear, shelters from the midday heat beneath the shade of a century-old fig tree draped in Spanish moss.

For all its beauty, the variety began as a mistake, when Dutch breeder Jan Spek Rozen discovered unusual traits that an ordinary rose assumed when grown on the Andean plateau.

But the implications go far beyond the fortunes of one small Andean nation.

However, extortion, kidnappings and murders remain high in the Andean country.

While negotiations with other rebel groups have proved rocky, President Petro has insisted that they are the only way to ensure peace in the conflict-wracked Andean country.