Americas

Americas

Colombia's rebel forces push for ceasefire

20 February 2013 01:46 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) guerrilla group pushed for a bilateral ceasefire Tuesday, endorsing a proposal put forward by conservative former minister Alvaro Leyva Duran, APA reports quoting Xinhua.

Ivan Marquez, the FARC's chief negotiator in peace talks with the government of President Juan Manuel Santos, replied to Leyva, saying "we agree with your proposal for a bilateral truce with international oversight."

Speaking in Havana, Cuba, where the talks are being held, Marquez said "surely the country agrees with former minister Leyva Duran. We must stop the national bleeding, and more so when we are in peace talks."

Marquez added the FARC pledged to abide by a truce that would help set the tone for peace talks and further mutual understanding.

The proposal was published Monday by Colombian daily El Nuevo Siglo, which cited Leyva calling for "a ceasefire, a bilateral truce, but a real one. Controlled. With an Internationalized Oversight Commission for the truce."

While the FARC unilaterally put down arms for a month at the start of these talks, Santos has so far resisted a bilateral truce, saying he fears the rebels will use the lull in fighting to re-arm and regroup, as they allegedly did during a truce some 10 years ago.

As a result, while representatives for the two sides sit down to discuss the conditions that will lead to a lasting peace and an end to five decades of fighting, the leftist rebels and military forces continue to clash in the jungles of Colombia.