HAVANA, Cuba – The Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) on May 3 called on the public to support a peace process.
Humberto de la Calle, a former vice president who leads the government’s peace delegation, addressed Colombian soldiers and police, urging them to pay no heed to what he insisted was an opposition disinformation campaign.
“I ask you not to allow yourself to be confused amid so many lies, so many fallacies,” he said. “Neither your salary, nor your future, even less your doctrine has been or will be negotiated here.”
Iván Márquez, the FARC’s top negotiator, had a similar message.
“All Colombians must defend the peace process,” he said. “The time has come to end this conflict.”
The talks to end the FARC’s 50-year-old insurgency have been underway in Cuba since November 2012.
The current round of peace talks is expected to last only about two days, rather than the usual 11.
Several key issues remain unresolved: the surrendering of weapons by the FARC, compensating victims of the conflict and enshrining a comprehensive peace agreement in law.
El País (Spain/Colombia); El Tiempo (Colombia)
