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FARC, Government Meet on Reviving Colombia Peace Talks

Negotiators from Colombia's government and Marxist FARC rebels met Tuesday on resuming peace talks in which the balance of power likely has shifted after rebels freed five army captives.

In their first meeting since President Juan Manuel Santos suspended the talks over the capture of an army general, negotiators from the government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia gathered behind closed doors in Havana to discuss getting negotiations back on track.

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FARC, Colombian Peace Negotiators to Meet Tuesday

Delegates from the Colombian government and leftist guerrilla group FARC will meet Tuesday in Cuba to discuss resuming peace talks after the rebels released five army captives, President Juan Manuel Santos said.

Santos suspended the two-year-old peace talks on November 16 over the FARC's capture of Brigadier General Ruben Alzate, their highest-ranking captive in 50 years of conflict.

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Colombia Rebels Free Captured General, Two Others

Colombia's leftist FARC guerrillas on Sunday freed an army general and two others, calling for an "armistice" to protect peace talks from future disruptions.

President Juan Manuel Santos, who suspended the peace talks after the capture of Brigadier General Ruben Alzate, was the first to announce the captives' release.

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Captive Colombia General's Release Delayed

Colombian guerrilla group FARC said Thursday it will release a general whose capture has derailed peace negotiations a day later than announced, delaying efforts to get the talks back on track.

"General (Ruben) Alzate and his companions will be released this Sunday," the leftist rebels said in a statement from Havana, where the suspended negotiations had been taking place.

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President: FARC to Free Captive Colombia General Saturday

Colombia's FARC guerrillas will on Saturday release an army general whose capture has derailed peace negotiations, President Juan Manuel Santos announced, saying the necessary security protocols were in place.

"In accordance with the protocols, this can be done on Saturday. So it will happen Saturday," Santos said Wednesday.

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FARC Frees Soldiers, Demands Colombia Halt Army Operations

Colombia's FARC guerrillas freed two captive soldiers Tuesday but demanded the army halt operations to avoid jeopardizing the separate release of a general whose capture has derailed peace talks.

The release of the two soldiers is the first step in a deal aimed at salvaging a two-year-old peace process suspended by the government after the leftist rebels captured General Ruben Alzate on November 16, the highest-ranking captive they have taken in 50 years of conflict.

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FARC to Free Colombia Soldiers, Sends Warning to Army

Colombia's FARC guerrillas confirmed they will release two soldiers Tuesday in a deal to revive peace talks, warning the army not to jeopardize the separate release of a captive general.

The soldiers' release, part of an agreement to salvage a peace process derailed by the capture of General Ruben Alzate, has been put in motion in the eastern department of Arauca, where the pair were captured in combat on November 9, the rebels said.

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Colombia Suspends Military Operations ahead of Hostage Release

Colombia's military has suspended its operations in the east in order to allow the liberation of two soldiers held by the leftist FARC rebels, authorities said Sunday.

The move came after FARC guerrillas warned that increased military activity was jeopardizing the release of the two soldiers, captured on November 9 in the Arauca province, and of a Colombian general abducted with two others on November 16.

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FARC to Free Colombian General, Others Next Week

FARC guerrillas who captured a Colombian general and four others will release them next week, president Juan Manuel Santos said Saturday, paving the way for a return to peace talks.

"I am giving instructions to facilitate their liberation next week," Santos said in a Twitter message, noting that the Marxist guerrillas had already provided coordinates of where the captives would be delivered.

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Father Arrested in Case of Colombian Child Drug Mule

A Colombian father was arrested Friday on suspicion of forcing his 11-year-old daughter to swallow 104 cocaine-filled capsules and trying to use her as a drugs mule.

On the run since the girl was hospitalized last week, Diego Fernando Mancilla Aguilar was sought on charges of attempted murder, using a minor to commit a crime and for drug trafficking, prosecutors said.

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