FARC and Colombian government launch peace talks

The Colombian government and the FARC rebel group are holding preliminary peace talks in Norway that are expected to set the stage for formal talks in Cuba next month.

Negotiators from the two sides appeared together in public for the first time on Thursday in the small town of Hurdal to launch the talks aimed at ending a 50-year conflict that has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives.

Colombia’s negotiator said both sides agreed on the need for social change.

FARC delegation head Ivan Marquez said they came “with an olive branch” but peace did not mean “arms go quiet”.

The heads of the delegations, Humberto De la Calle for Colombian government and Ivan Marques for the rebels, appeared on Thursday on the same podium without shaking hands at a hotel.

De la Calle told reporters that Thursday’s talks were “a very important historical moment” and the second part of a process that began with exploratory negotiations in February.

The third step would be the signing of an agreement to “put an end to armed conflict”, de la Calle said, adding that the final agreement would be “put to the public”.

Speaking for the rebels on the same podium, Marquez told reporters: “We come with an olive branch in our hands.” He insisted that the Farc was seeking a “stable and lasting” peace.

Earlier, both parties were whisked through a VIP section of Oslo airport, with the media completely shut out, for planned meetings on Wednesday and Thursday.

This is the latest attempt to negotiate peace with the drug-funded rebels since they were formed back in 1964. Past discussions ended in shambles, even strengthening the guerrillas’ ability to attack civilian and military targets.

Together with Cuba, Norway is playing the role of facilitator in the peace process that seeks to put an end to a conflict that has claimed thousands of lives in the past 50 years in the Andean nation.

The five-point discussions are likely to be thorny as they focus on the drug trade, victim rights, land ownership in rural areas, FARC participation in politics and how to end the war.

Despite the talks, Colombian troops have continued their offensive against the rebels and guerrillas have stepped up attacks in recent days against energy and mining installations.

Juan Manuel Santos, Colombia

FARC and Colombian government launch peace talks

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