Havana - Leftist Colombian rebels said on Wednesday they are prepared to call a month-long unilateral ceasefire as of July 20, a move that could boost peace talks that have been threatened by increased battlefield violence in recent months.
“With this we seek to generate favorable conditions to advance with our counterparty to work toward a definitive, bilateral cease-fire,” Ivan Marquez, leader of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), read in a statement in Havana before going behind closed doors for talks with the Colombian government.
On Tuesday, the four countries sponsoring the Colombian peace talks called for an “urgent de-escalation” of violence and “confidence-building measures” by the rebels and the government to end Latin America's longest war.
The Colombian government's top negotiator has said peace talks could come to a halt due to the recent intensification of violence.
For its part, FARC has been advocating a bilateral ceasefire, which the government has rejected saying FARC has used previous attempts at such truces to rearm.
The current Havana talks have produced the most progress to date toward ending the conflict, which has killed 220,000 people and displaced millions since 1964.
In March, Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos agreed to halt air strikes in recognition of a unilateral ceasefire called by FARC at Christmas time.
But headway toward peace suddenly came to a halt in April when violence broke out anew. Santos ordered a resumption of air assaults in response to a rebel attack that killed 10 soldiers.
Since then both sides have carried out more attacks, with FARC formally renewing offensive operations and sabotaging roads, pipelines and utilities.
Reuters