COLOMBIA: A team of Colombian government negotiators leaves for Oslo, Norway for talks with FARC

Record ID: 349614

  • Title: COLOMBIA: A team of Colombian government negotiators leaves for Oslo, Norway for talks with FARC
  • Date: 16th October 2012
  • Summary: BOGOTA, COLOMBIA (OCTOBER 16, 2012) (REUTERS) GENERAL VIEW OF AIRCRAFT ON TARMAC CREW IN FRONT OF AIRCRAFT COLOMBIAN AIR FORCE AIR CRAFT VARIOUS OF COLOMBIAN NEGOTIATORS CAMERAMAN (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) HUMBERTO DE LA CALLE LOMBANA, HEAD OF COLOMBIAN GOVERNMENT DELEGATION, SAYING: "Under the leadership of President Santos we are leaving now. We are leaving now with hope
  • Embargoed: 31st October 2012 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Colombia
  • Country: Colombia
  • Topics: Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA4SS7S6D07RN58NVN7AL7WB0Q3
  • Story Text: Colombia's government and Marxist rebels will start peace talks as planned on Wednesday in Oslo in a bid to end nearly half a century of conflict after logistical problems delayed departure of the delegates, Colombia's government delegation said on Tuesday (October 16).
    President Juan Manuel Santos, facing criticism on security issues, has launched the latest attempt to negotiate a deal with the leftist Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) guerrillas.
    The two sides agreed in August to begin negotiations in Oslo in the first two weeks of October before moving to Cuba for the substantive part of their talks - the latest attempt after several failed peace negotiations since the 1980s.
    "Under the leadership of President Santos, we are leaving now. We are leaving now with hope, with moderate optimism. We don't believe in false expectations. But we think that the structural elements exist that will allow us to to have hope, and hopefully we have good news for Colombia," said Humberto de la Calle Lombana, the head of the government's negotiating team.
    It was not immediately clear whether the FARC delegation had left for Norway. The parties had been expected to arrive in Oslo last weekend for preliminary meetings, but their departures were delayed by heavy rains in Colombia and other problems.
    De la Calle, a former vice president, said that the Colombian government hopes that the negotiations will lead to the end of Colombia's long civil conflict.
    "Phase two is not a traditional negotiation. It doesn't involve the government handing over a list of demands and then the FARC responding with it's ideas. Among other things, that wouldn't be dignified. Phase two is a process with the aim of ending the conflict and beginning a period of social transformation in Colombia, which involves a decision from the guerrillas and also one from the government to be able to achieve the peace that Colombians long for," he said.
    De la Calle also said that the negotiating teams would meet behind closed doors on Wednesday to work out logistics for the negotiations.
    "The agenda in Oslo calls for us meeting first thing tomorrow behind closed doors to work out the logistics, and prepare for the meeting on the 18th and then the meetings in Havana very soon after our return from Oslo," he said.
    FARC leaders have said there were delays in lifting arrest warrants for some delegates. News reports in Colombia indicated a conflict about the composition of the FARC delegation, particularly the inclusion of Dutch national Tanja Nijmeijer.
    A spokesman for Interpol said Colombia had asked for the lifting of so-called "red notices," much like arrest warrants, on several FARC members.
    Colombia controls only its own notices, and there is a "red notice" filed by the United States for Nijmeijer, alias Alexandra, which has not been lifted, the spokesman said.
    In a statement published on Monday, the FARC insisted it had the right to select delegation members, and said Nijmeijer would take part. It is believed she would take part in the Cuban leg of the talks.
    While security has improved since a U.S.-backed offensive against FARC rebels and drug barons began a decade ago, the security forces have been unable to land a decisive blow. That has left Santos vulnerable ahead of elections in 2014.
    Negotiations in Oslo are expected to focus on laying the groundwork for the later discussions in Cuba, which would focus mainly on land, drugs and political participation issues.
    Norway and Cuba have agreed to act as guarantors at the talks while representatives from Venezuela and Chile will also be present.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2012. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register