CUBA: Colombia, FARC wrap up first round of peace talks

Record ID: 349684

  • Title: CUBA: Colombia, FARC wrap up first round of peace talks
  • Date: 30th November 2012
  • Summary: HAVANA, CUBA (NOVEMBER 29, 2012) (REUTERS) ( ** BEWARE FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY **) VARIOUS OF FARC (REVOLUTIONARY ARMED FORCES OF COLOMBIA) NEGOTIATORS ENTERING NEWS CONFERENCE JOURNALISTS AT NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) FARC NEGOTIATOR, RICARDO TELLEZ, SAYING: "Very serious, deep matters were covered. These (peace talks) have just started, 11 days would be a long ti
  • Embargoed: 15th December 2012 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Cuba
  • Country: Cuba
  • Topics: Conflict,International Relations,Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVADCIAE1RQQGC7YH3NST32614UH
  • Story Text: FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) negotiators talk up the group's peace overtures to Colombian government with both sides locked in negotiations in Havana to end five decades of war.


    In Havana, where FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) and Colombian government negotiators wrapped up the first round of talks aimed at ended a five-decades long war, FARC representatives said on Thursday (November 29) that the discussions were off to a good start.
    With negotiations covering issues such as the political and legal future of the FARC, drug trafficking and compensation for war victims, FARC negotiator Ricardo Tellez told journalists it was still early for a breakthrough.
    "Very serious, deep matters were covered. These (peace talks) have just started, 11 days would be a long time to build a small house but to build just dialogue it's normal, it's the start. There was even space to laugh, for a joke," he said.
    Looking to bolster talks, the FARC announced a unilateral two-month ceasefire as peace talks opened in Havana.
    The group vowed to halt all offensive military operations and acts of sabotage against infrastructure until mid January and said they were not afraid to lay down arms to support peace.
    "We were not frightened by the issue of giving up our weapons because we believe that if we get rid of the causes that generate conflict, there would be no reason, no justification for the use of arms," said leading FARC negotiator Ivan Marquez.
    Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos rebuffed the move and said the government would not reciprocate by halting military operations.
    Dutch FARC member Tanja Nijmeijer played down the differences between both sides, saying the talks have helped build rapport.
    "The atmosphere during the talks is very good. There's even space for little jokes, for laughing. It's a really good atmosphere I think. The talks are going very well. We have been talking about the participation of the Colombian people," she said.
    Marquez also said he welcomed efforts by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez who was instrumental in bringing both sides together by holding meetings with Colombia's Santos and Cuba's former leader Fidel Castro earlier this year to help kick off the talks.
    "(Venezuelan) President (Hugo) Chavez and Venezuela are on the side of peace in Colombia and peace in the region. We only have words of gratitude for President Chavez," he said.
    The bloody conflict at issue, in which tens of thousands of people have died and millions have been displaced, dates back to 1964 when the FARC, or Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, formed.
    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 an end to the war.
    Santos has said he wants an agreement within nine months, but the FARC say the process could take much longer.
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