Colombia's FARC guerrilla force warned Wednesday "substantial hurdles" in negotiations could prevent it signing a long-sought peace deal with the country's government by March 23 as they had hoped.
"There are objective causes and factors that will probably prevent that from happening on March 23," the FARC's lead negotiator Joaquin Gomez told reporters.
He spoke in Havana where peace talks that have been going on for three years between the Communist rebel group and the Colombian government resumed Wednesday after a Christmas break.
"There are substantial hurdles such as the clarification and disbanding of paramilitary groups," Gomez said, referring to underground right-wing groups fighting against the FARC in Colombia's half-century civil conflict.
On September 23, Colombia's President Juan Manuel Santos shook hands with FARC leader Timoleon "Timochenko" Jimenez on the core of the proposed peace deal, and the two vowed to reach a final accord within six months.
Gomez said Wednesday the FARC still wanted to sign a deal on March 23, but there were difficulties in reaching an agreement that were "out of our hands."
The two sides have now signed deals on four of six agenda items for the peace talks: justice for victims, land reform, political participation for ex-rebels, and fighting the drug trafficking that has fueled the conflict in the world's largest cocaine-producing country.
The only unsettled questions now are disarmament and the mechanism by which the final accord will be ratified.
Colombia’s FARC guerrilla force warned Wednesday “substantial hurdles” in negotiations could prevent it signing a long-sought peace deal with the country’s government by March 23 as they had hoped.
“There are objective causes and factors that will probably prevent that from happening on March 23,” the FARC’s lead negotiator Joaquin Gomez told reporters.
He spoke in Havana where peace talks that have been going on for three years between the Communist rebel group and the Colombian government resumed Wednesday after a Christmas break.
“There are substantial hurdles such as the clarification and disbanding of paramilitary groups,” Gomez said, referring to underground right-wing groups fighting against the FARC in Colombia’s half-century civil conflict.
On September 23, Colombia’s President Juan Manuel Santos shook hands with FARC leader Timoleon “Timochenko” Jimenez on the core of the proposed peace deal, and the two vowed to reach a final accord within six months.
Gomez said Wednesday the FARC still wanted to sign a deal on March 23, but there were difficulties in reaching an agreement that were “out of our hands.”
The two sides have now signed deals on four of six agenda items for the peace talks: justice for victims, land reform, political participation for ex-rebels, and fighting the drug trafficking that has fueled the conflict in the world’s largest cocaine-producing country.
The only unsettled questions now are disarmament and the mechanism by which the final accord will be ratified.
