UN welcomes Colombia and rebels' hopes for a cease-fire

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Associated Press

UN welcomes Colombia and rebels' hopes for a cease-fire
Oct 30, 3:25 PM EDT

UNITED NATIONS (AP) -- Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is welcoming "the intention" of the government of Colombia and leftist rebels to establish a cease-fire by the end of the year.

The U.N. chief believes "this would be a decisive step towards ending the conflict," U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Friday.

Ban hopes the government and Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia rebels "will seize the upcoming round of talks in Havana as an opportunity to move forward" on deciding the method to monitor and verify a cease-fire, which will include the United Nations and the international community, he said.

Dujarric said the U.N. expects the parties to finalize their discussions soon. He said a joint request is then expected to be submitted to the U.N. Security Council to authorize the monitoring and verification process.

Read more: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/UN_UNITED_NATIONS_COLOMBIA?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2015-10-30-15-25-08

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(Short article, no more at link.)

[Judi Lynn]

1. Colombia killing rebels despite truce offer: FARC

Colombia killing rebels despite truce offer: FARC
Thursday, 29 October 2015 23:42
Posted by Shoaib-ur-Rehman Siddiqui
Agence France-Presse

BOGOTA: The leader of Colombia's FARC guerrillas, Timoleon Jimenez, accused the government Thursday of escalating its campaign against the rebels even as it proposes a bilateral ceasefire to advance peace talks.

Speaking a day after President Juan Manuel Santos offered to enter into a ceasefire from January 1 -- granting a longstanding rebel demand -- Jimenez lashed out at the government for nevertheless stepping up operations against the FARC.

Just before Santos's ceasefire offer, the army announced it had killed four FARC fighters in an operation against a rebel unit allegedly involved in extortion and drug trafficking in southwestern Colombia.

"Why, in the face of a possible bilateral truce, would you send infiltrators to murder sleeping guerrillas?" Jimenez, who is known by the alias "Timochenko," wrote on Twitter.

More:
http://www.brecorder.com/world/south-america/258676.html