CUBA: Colombian governments say FARC talks proceeding as expected

Record ID: 349681

  • Title: CUBA: Colombian governments say FARC talks proceeding as expected
  • Date: 29th November 2012
  • Summary: HAVANA, CUBA (NOVEMBER 29, 2012) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF COLOMBIA'S LEAD NEGOTIATOR HUMBERTO DE LA CALLE ARRIVING SIGN DE LA CALLE APPROACHES MICROPHONE (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) COLOMBIA'S LEAD NEGOTIATOR HUMBERTO DE LA CALLE SAYING: "We have finished the first cycle of direct conversations. I can say we have advanced as planned. We initiated the discussion from the first start
  • Embargoed: 14th December 2012 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Cuba
  • Country: Cuba
  • Topics: Conflict,Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA5DQ55OC3JFN6VTXT0KX3QA2NE
  • Story Text: Colombia's lead negotiator says peace talks 'advance as planned'.

    Colombia's lead government negotiator said on Thursday (November 29) that talks with FARC rebels were proceeding according to schedule as an initial round of meetings came to a close in Havana, Cuba.
    "We have finished the first cycle of direct conversations. I can say we have advanced as planned," said Humberto de la Calle at the Havana convention centre where talks began on Nov. 10 and will resume in early December.
    "Regarding participation, I would like to stress the following: we are trying to find citizens and organizations from all sectors are able to make relevant and useful proposals for the discussion that was agreed to. With the direct conversations that we are having, we hope to reach agreements that will lead to the end of the conflict," he added.
    The bloody conflict between FARC and the Colombian government - dating back five decades - has claimed the lives of tens of thousands of Colombians.
    FARC representatives have spoken daily going into the talks, but so far have held to an agreement not to discuss what is being said at the negotiating table.
    On Thursday, Dutch rebel Tanja Nijmeijer read a statement expressing solidarity with the Palestinian cause in the Middle East.
    The rebels have scheduled a press conference later on Thursday.
    Previous attempts at peace ended in shambles, but a 10-year-long, U.S.-backed military offensive has weakened the FARC to the point that the government believes it may be ready for a negotiated end to the war.
    The talks have begun with the complicated issue of rural development, with four equally difficult topics - ending the war, the political and legal future of the rebels, the drug trade and compensation for war victims - to follow.
    President Juan Manuel Santos has said he wants an agreement within nine months, but the rebels say the process could take much longer.
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