Colombia's FARC begins unilateral ceasefire
Iran Press TV
Sat Dec 20, 2014 4:15PM GMT
The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) has begun an indefinite, unilateral ceasefire, says the Colombian president.
"An indefinite, unilateral ceasefire from the FARC has begun. It's a positive gesture that goes in the right direction," President Juan Manuel Santos said on Saturday.
"I hope there will be other gestures that would permit a de-escalation of the conflict and acceleration in results from negotiations," Santos added.
The FARC welcomed Santos' comments on the truce, and called on the president "not to stand in the way of the people's desire to know their country without the roar of bombs and machine guns."
FARC declared the ceasefire with the government on Wednesday, based on which the rebels will only engage in hostilities if they come under attack first.
Earlier on Friday, the rebels killed five government soldiers and wounded five others on the eve of the first day of the unilateral truce.
Santos, who has made the peace talks with the FARC his top political priority, has, however, refused to enter a bilateral ceasefire with the rebels, saying that a truce before a deal to end hostilities would only give the rebels time to re-arm.
On December 3, the Colombian government and FARC resumed the latest round of peace talks suspended last month over the abduction of an army general.
FARC is Latin America's oldest insurgent group and has been fighting the Colombian government since 1964. Bogota estimates that 600,000 people have been killed and more than 4.5 million displaced due to the fighting.
YH/HJL/SS
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