By Richard McColl
BOGOTA
The government and FARC have agreed Wednesday to resume peace talks that were halted following the capture of an army general last month.
The negotiations will resume Dec. 10 and will focus on “deescalating the conflict” that has raged for 50 years, both sides said in a join statement after two days of closed meetings.
Gen. Ruben Dario Alzate and two companions were captured by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC guerrillas, in the Western region of Choco. Their release Sunday paved the way for a resumption of the talks that began two years ago.
The general's capture and subsequent releaase will invariable change the way the talks proceed, according to a press release provided by a national think tank, Reconciliacion Colombia. “The FARC will be expecting something in return for the release of the hostages and they will continue to push for a scaling down of the conflict,” it read.
The government has remained in opposition to any discussion on the possibility of a bilateral cease-fire since suspicions remain that the FARC will use it as an opportunity to rearm and reorganize its forces as it did during the peace dialogues during President Andres Pastrana’s tenure between 1998 and 2002.
The peace talks were due to begin its 32st round of negotiations and address the issue of victims of the conflict just one day before they were suspended. Agreements have already been reached on the issues of agrarian reform, political participation and illicit drugs.
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