Colombian govt, rebels agree on rural development in peace talks

Source:Xinhua Published: 2013-1-25 15:11:22

The Colombian government and the rebel Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) reached consensus on rural development in peace talks held here Thursday.

"We have reached initial consensus on the reform of the rural areas, but notable differences remain," said chief government negotiator Humberto de la Calle in a statement.

He said that discussions about land ownership should be held within the constitutional framework and that efforts to safeguard the property rights of legally acquired land will not be undermined.

Jesus Santrich, a member of the FARC negotiating team, told a news conference: "Things are moving in a good direction because at least we draw the attention of the government to one of our 10 proposals -- the proposal about the access to land."

FARC emerged in a peasant uprising against the concentration of more than half of the land in Colombia in the hands of a few wealthy families.

The Colombian guerrilla group blamed government inaction and the concentration of land ownership as the causes for underdevelopment of the countryside as well as for armed conflicts in the country.

Rural development is one of the key issues covered in the peace talks alongside citizen participation in political affairs and end of armed conflict and drug trafficking.

The peace talks started last October in Oslo and continued in Havana this month. The talks will be resumed again on January 31 at the Havana International Conference Center.

The government and the country's largest rebel group are in their fourth attempt to end their bloody conflicts that have claimed 600,000 lives since 1964.

Posted in: Americas

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