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News > Latin America

Colombian Peace Talks Back on Track, Say Sponsor Countries

  • Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia negotiator Joaquin Gomez speaks to the media in Havana, Cuba Jan. 13, 2016.

    Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia negotiator Joaquin Gomez speaks to the media in Havana, Cuba Jan. 13, 2016. | Photo: Reuters

Published 24 February 2016
Opinion

Cuba and Norway are overseeing the negotiations between the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia rebels.

The two countries sponsoring Colombian peace talks said negotiations were back on track on Wednesday after they were thrown into disarray last week when FARC negotiators appeared in public escorted by armed, uniformed guerrillas.

"An agreement has been reached to overcome recent difficulties and normalize the conversations between the parties at the table in Havana," said the statement read by representatives of Cuba and Norway, the so-called guarantors of the Colombian talks.

An accord was reached after the foreign ministers of Cuba and Norway intervened with Colombian government and rebel negotiators, the statement said.

However, both the government and the rebels had indicated the March 23 deadline will likely be missed.

The government of Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos and leftist FARC rebels have been negotiating a peace deal for more than three years in Havana and have a self-imposed March 23 deadline to reach a comprehensive pact.

Latin America's longest war has killed some 220,000 people and displaced millions of others since 1964. The two sides are attempting to reach a deal that would be placed before Colombian voters for approval, with a U.N. mission supervising rebel disarmament.

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