Rebels Blame Colombia Defense Chief for Stalled Peace Talks
Colombian rebels blamed a lack of progress in peace negotiations on the country's defense minister, whom they accused of trying to undermine the talks.
After 11 months of negotiations, the Bogota government and leftist fighters from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia have reached a deal on just one key issue -- agrarian reform -- with progress stalled on four other agenda items.
Top FARC negotiator Ivan Marquez accused Defense Minister Juan Carlos Pinzon of playing the role of "sniper" during the negotiations -- shooting down suggestions and "blowing the Havana talks to pieces."
"He gives us the impression... of not taking the government line during the talks, but instead yielding to an anti-peace line" espoused by former president Alvaro Uribe, who Marquez called "the number one enemy of a political solution."
The peace talks pursued by Colombia's President Juan Manuel Santos have been roundly rejected by his predecessor Uribe, who is opposed to negotiating with rebels.
Marquez told reporters that despite the halting progress, the two sides continue to lay the groundwork for agreements on the unresolved issues.
The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, with an estimated 8,000 fighters, have been waging an insurgency against the state since 1964.
A recent government commission estimated that 220,000 people have lost their lives in the conflict. Other estimates run as high as 600,000 dead.
The latest round of talks are the fourth attempt since the 1980s to end Latin America's longest-running armed conflict, and will run until October 13.
Meanwhile, Colombian law enforcement officials said Tuesday they have seized some $6.3 million dollars in property and goods belonging to a group affiliated with FARC, including cars, homes, and other items in the capital city area.
The items allegedly belong to the so-called Carrillo Clan," a FARC faction active in Colombia's eastern Arauca department on the border with Venezuela.
Source: Agence France Presse
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