Colombian govt, FARC to hold new round of peace talks

Source:Xinhua Published: 2013-5-14 9:48:20

The Colombian government's chief negotiator Humberto de la Calle said Monday a new round of peace talks between the government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) will be held on May 15-25 in Cuba.

It is expected that during the ninth round of talks, there would be an agreement on the main point and both parties would move on to discuss other issues with the aim to end the 50-year long armed conflict.

The two parties held the eighth round of peace talks in Havana, Cuba, later April and early May with both sides expressing satisfaction over the progress made during the talks.

Other issues on the agenda include: the insurgent group's disarming and transition into a political movement or party, reparations for victims of the conflict and the problem of drug trafficking, which has remained a source of funding for the rebels.

The FARC, the largest guerrilla group founded by landless peasant farmers who took up arms to fight for land reform, currently has between 8,000 to 9,000 members, according to official figures. Some 200,000 people have died in the fighting and many thousands more have been displaced.
Posted in: Americas

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