[NYTr] Colombia Govt Snubs FARC Offer

[All the News That Doesn't Fit]

Prensa Latina, Havana
http://www.plenglish.com

Colombia Govt Snubs FARC Offer

Bogota, Dec 19 (Prensa Latina) Colombia's High Commissioner for Peace
Luis Carlos Restrepo reiterated on Wednesday the government has
rejected a rebel proposal to demilitarize the municipalities of Florida
and Pradera to achieve an exchange of prisoners.

Restrepo thus replied to one of the points of a release by the
Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) on Tuesday.

In the message, the organization stands firm to the demilitarization of
those territories for 45 days to reach a humanitarian deal, and
ratifies the decision to find a political solution to the armed
conflict.

According to FARC, the governmental proposal to create a meeting zone
in a rural, uninhabited area of 57.91 square miles, with no military
deployment for 30 days, is too rushed and unacceptable.

In statements for RCN radio station, the commissioner called FARC to
choose a different place to agree on a humanitarian agreement, and
added it could even be in a zone controlled by the armed group.

Restrepo said the government is willing to attain a humanitarian pact
as soon as possible, and expressed satisfaction for FARC's unilateral
release some of the people detained, as the rebel group announced in
the release.

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