Colombia peace negotiator warns FARC rebels
With peace talks between Colombian officials and leftist guerrillas stalled as the two-year mark nears, the government's lead negotiator warned this week that his side's patience was limited and demanded a halt to recent attacks on civilians and the military.
Humberto de la Calle's comments Wednesday at a political meeting in Bogota pointed up the wide differences between the government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, despite agreements reached on three main negotiating points. Since May, talks have been stuck on victims' rights and reparations, with no resolution in sight.
"I want to tell the FARC categorically that the time has come to make big decisions," De la Calle said of the talks, which began Nov. 15, 2012. "Colombian society needs concrete signs that the FARC's desire for peace is real."
FARC rebels were accused this week of killing two unarmed civilians in southwestern Cauca state, outraging many Colombians and putting wind in the sails of critics led by former President Alvaro Uribe, now an opposition member of the Senate. The victims' offense: pulling down a sign that rebels had put up on their reservation to commemorate the death of FARC leader Alfonso Cano.
http://www.latimes.com/world/mexico-americas/la-fg-colombia-rebels-20141114-story.html
