The head of Colombia's FARC rebels, long believed to fund guerrilla activities via the drug trade, said Monday that he opposes the trade as "counter-revolutionary."
Timoleon Jimenez, known by his nom de guerre "Timochenko," said in an interview posted on the Internet that the FARC is opposed at its core to drug trafficking, "because it has killed many of our colleagues."
Jimenez, chief commander of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, added in the interview that drug trafficking "has slowed development and has done a lot of harm," particularly in terms of "large number of youths" lost to the drug trade.
The rebel leader made his remarks as the Colombian government and the guerrilla group prepared to resume peace talks in Cuba Tuesday which aim to end a half century of armed conflict.
It would be their first session since Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos placed second to a fierce opponent of the peace talks, Oscar Ivan Zuluaga, in the first round presidential vote May 25.
Polls show the two neck-and-neck as they head toward a June 15 runoff.
The Havana talks began in November 2012 and have led to partial agreements on terms for the FARC's political reintegration, rural development and drug trafficking.
But at least three major issues remain unresolved: the surrender of weapons, compensation for victims of the conflict, and whether a peace agreement would be ratified by a national referendum or some other means.
The head of Colombia’s FARC rebels, long believed to fund guerrilla activities via the drug trade, said Monday that he opposes the trade as “counter-revolutionary.”
Timoleon Jimenez, known by his nom de guerre “Timochenko,” said in an interview posted on the Internet that the FARC is opposed at its core to drug trafficking, “because it has killed many of our colleagues.”
Jimenez, chief commander of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, added in the interview that drug trafficking “has slowed development and has done a lot of harm,” particularly in terms of “large number of youths” lost to the drug trade.
The rebel leader made his remarks as the Colombian government and the guerrilla group prepared to resume peace talks in Cuba Tuesday which aim to end a half century of armed conflict.
It would be their first session since Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos placed second to a fierce opponent of the peace talks, Oscar Ivan Zuluaga, in the first round presidential vote May 25.
Polls show the two neck-and-neck as they head toward a June 15 runoff.
The Havana talks began in November 2012 and have led to partial agreements on terms for the FARC’s political reintegration, rural development and drug trafficking.
But at least three major issues remain unresolved: the surrender of weapons, compensation for victims of the conflict, and whether a peace agreement would be ratified by a national referendum or some other means.
