Colombian gov't, FARC agree to speed up peace talks

Key Words: FARC; peace talk; Columbia;

Related Reading:
>> Colombian gov't, FARC to resume peace talks in Cuba
>> Colombian VP asks FARC to hand over underage recruits
>> Colombian president confirms contact with FARC rebels

HAVANA, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) -- The Colombian government and the rebel Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) have agreed to pick up the pace of peace talks that resumed Monday in Havana, Cuba.

In a statement, the FARC urged the government to stop its "warmongering rhetoric" and "false promises" of social solutions to accelerate the negotiations aimed at ending five decades of armed conflicts in Colombia.

A day earlier, head of the government delegation and former Vice President Humberto de la Calle said the peace talks "cannot continue indefinitely" and "needed a new pace."

Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos said at the start of the talks that he wanted them to conclude in a year's time.

The talks, resuming after a 25-day break over the holidays, focus on agrarian reform and rural development.

The FARC emerged in a peasant uprising against the concentration of more than half of the land in Colombia in the hands of a few wealthy families.

The two sides are also expected to discuss such topics as disarmament, the rebels' reintegration, reparations for conflict victims and their families as well as drug trafficking.

We recommend:
Nudists rally for right to bare it all	Unforgettable moments you cannot miss in December	Bloody scenery of shark hunting
Sao Paulo faces hot weather in January	Finland celebrates Epiphany with slide show	Children taking cold-resistant exercise