Colombian Government to Resume Peace Talks
The Colombian Government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia guerilla group met Tuesday with plans to meet again Wednesday to discuss how to resume peace talks that have been suspended since Nov. 17.
Last month, FARC kidnapped Colombian General Ruben Dario Alzate along with army corporal Jorge Rodriguez Contreras and civilian lawyer Gloria Urrego.
Colombia's President Juan Manuel Santos immediately suspended peace talks with the leftist rebel group and demanded the safe return of the general and two companions.
FARC released the victims Sunday, resulting in a meeting Tuesday for nearly four hours with Colombian government negotiation teams and the guerilla group, but they have yet to make a decision to resume peace talks.
The meeting took place in the exclusive El Laguito area in Havana, Cuba instead of at the Convention Palace where peace talks usually happen.
Potential negotiations come after General Alzate resigned from his post.
"Out of love and respect for our military institution, which has been affected by this incident, I've asked the national government to retire me from active service," he said in a media conference.
Alzate admitted that he had breached security measures by entering the 34th division of FARC in a jungle area of Choco province and wearing civilian clothes in a red zone.
Reports say the general ordered a soldier to take him to those grounds despite warnings that he was getting too far from the base.
Alzate told reporters that he was working on a project to store power generators on the Atrato River and did not wear uniform since many locals do not trust authorities.
FARC said Monday, a day after releasing the victims, that the Colombian government cannot impose a date to restart peace talks after suspending them since it is necessary to reset the rules of the game.
Both parties are wondering how they can officially resume peace talks in Havana.
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