UNITED NATIONS, January 30 (Sputnik) – UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has voiced encouragement on the resumption of the Colombian peace talks due to be held in Havana, Cuba next week, a spokesperson for the Secretary-General said in a statement Friday.
"As the parties prepare to resume the peace talks in Havana next week, the Secretary-General is encouraged that the year has begun with optimism in Colombia about the prospects for reaching a peace agreement in 2015," the statement read.
"He commends the decision by President Juan Manuel Santos to begin discussions that could lead to a bilateral cease-fire. Both parties are encouraged to persist in their talks on the possible implementation of humanitarian measures to diminish the intensity of the conflict," the statement said.
Colombia's government has been engaged in talks with FARC since 2012, attempting to put an end to a standoff that dates back to 1964. It is estimated that about 220,000 people, mostly civilians, have been killed in the decades-long armed conflict.
On January 14, FARC confirmed that eight state troop soldiers were killed in recent clashes, after government forces launched an attack on rebels. The guerrillas said that the deaths could be prevented if the government chose a more rational stance and engaged in truce talks.
The largest rebel group in Colombia, the FARC is considered a terrorist group by the national government, as well as the United States, Canada, Chile, New Zealand and the European Union.
