Bogota
Colombia’s government will soon begin talks that could lead to formal negotiations for peace with the country’s biggest guerrilla group Farc, according to a Colombian intelligence source. As part of the deal to hold talks, the government has agreed that leaders of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia would not be extradited to another country to stand trial, he said.
One aide at the office of President Juan Manuel Santos has flatly denied that any talks are taking place, but a second aide said only that any official word on peace dealings would come from Mr Santos himself.
Details of the accord were still being worked out, but the negotiations could take place in Cuba or in Norway, the source added. President Barack Obama was aware of the process and was in agreement.
Mr Santos’s predecessor Alvaro Uribe has criticised any idea of talks with the rebels and has slammed Mr Santos for wanting “peace at any cost”. Farc has faced its toughest defeats in recent years as US-trained special forces use sophisticated technology and spy networks to track the leaders. – (Reuters)