HAVANA, (Reuters) – Talks between the Colombian government and Marxist-led FARC rebels to end their bloody, half-century-long conflict have made progress, but broad areas of disagreement lie ahead, the two sides said on Friday as they headed into a holiday break.
Lead government negotiator Humberto de la Calle, speaking at the conclusion of the second round of meetings, said the two sides had agreed on some “unprecedented mechanisms” for civic input into the peace process.
“Since November 19 when we formally began, we’ve had 21 sessions and more than 100 hours of intense work, and concrete advances, all as expected,” said de la Calle, who read a statement but did not take questions.
The two sides are trying to end a war that dates to 1964 when the FARC, or Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, was formed as a communist agrarian movement to end the country’s long history of social inequality.
Tens of thousands of people have died and millions have been displaced in South America’s last Marxist-led armed rebellion, a vestige of the Cold War.
They said in a joint communique yesterday the talks, which will resume in Havana on Jan. 14, were being held “in an atmosphere of respect and constructive spirit.”
