COLOMBIA-REBELS/CUBA-TALKS-CEASEFIRE Colombian rebels say prepared to call unilateral ceasefire

Record ID: 147975

  • Title: COLOMBIA-REBELS/CUBA-TALKS-CEASEFIRE Colombian rebels say prepared to call unilateral ceasefire
  • Date: 8th July 2015
  • Summary: HAVANA, CUBA (JULY 8, 2015) (REUTERS) ***WARNING CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** VARIOUS OF FARC (REVOLUTIONARY ARMED FORCES OF COLOMBIA) DELEGATION ENTERING PEACE TALKS GENERAL VIEW OF FARC DURING NEWS CONFERENCE MEMBERS OF FARC DELEGATION LISTENING TO ANNOUNCEMENT (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) COLOMBIA'S FARC LEAD NEGOTIATOR, IVAN MARQUEZ, SAYING: "Picking up from the spirit of th
  • Embargoed: 23rd July 2015 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Cuba
  • Country: Cuba
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVADW2KPC2MWA5A2Y6E8EBO0LLKM
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Leftist Colombian rebels said on Wednesday (July 8) they are prepared to call a month-long unilateral ceasefire as of July 20, a potential boost to peace talks that have been threatened by increased battlefield violence in recent months.
    Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos gave no immediate sign he would reciprocate, saying in response that "more is required" and that rebels of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) need to show more urgency in peace talks.
    "Picking up from the spirit of the call from sponsors of the peace talks, Cuba and Norway and those accompanying thereof, Venezuela and Chile, we announces our willingness to order a unilateral ceasefire from July 20 for a month. With this we seek to generate favourable conditions to advance with our counterpart to work toward a definitive, bilateral cease-fire," FARC leader Ivan Marquez read in a statement in Havana before going behind closed doors for talks with the Colombian government.
    On Tuesday, four countries sponsoring the Colombian peace talks called for an "urgent de-escalation" of violence and "confidence-building measures" by the rebels and the government to end Latin America's longest war.
    The Colombian government's top negotiator has said peace talks could come to a halt due to the recent intensification of violence.
    For its part, FARC has been advocating a bilateral ceasefire, which the government has rejected saying FARC has used previous attempts at such truces to rearm.
    Santos, who has said he would like to reach a peace agreement in 2015, gave no hint of the government's next move.
    "We appreciate the FARC's gesture of a unilateral ceasefire but more is required, especially concrete commitments to accelerate the negotiations," Santos said on Twitter.
    The current Havana talks have produced the most progress to date toward ending the conflict, which has killed 220,000 people and displaced millions since 1964.
    In March, Santos agreed to halt air strikes in recognition of a unilateral ceasefire called by FARC at Christmas time.
    But headway toward peace suddenly came to a halt in April when violence broke out anew. Santos ordered a resumption of air assaults in response to a rebel attack that killed 10 soldiers.
    Since then both sides have carried out more attacks, with FARC formally renewing offensive operations and sabotaging roads, pipelines and utilities.
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