Breaking News - Colombia's Marxist FARC rebels end ceasefire

Started by NewsCaster, Jan 20, 2013, 07:30 PM

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Adalberto Roque / AFP - Getty ImagesCommander Jesus Santrich, Maritza Garcia and Yury Camargo of FARC arrive at talks in Havana, Cuba on Friday. By Jeff Franks, ReutersHAVANA, Cuba - A unilateral ceasefire declared by the Marxist FARC rebels at the start of peace talks with the Colombian government ended on Sunday after the government refused to join the truce, the group said.

"With pain in my heart, we have to admit that we return to the stage of war that nobody in this country (Colombia) wants," FARC lead negotiator Ivan Marquez told reporters before going into the latest session of the talks aimed at ending Colombia's long, bloody conflict.

The FARC, or Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, declared the ceasefire when the talks began on November 19 in Havana, and gave the government two months to also lay down its arms.

Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos rejected the ceasefire from the beginning, saying the government would maintain the military pressure to keep FARC at the negotiating table.

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