Colombia, rebels are moving toward timetable for peace

Dec. 21, 2005, 9:58PM
Colombia, rebels are moving toward timetable for peace
Both sides commit to more meetings in Cuba at end of January

By VANESSA ARRINGTON
Associated Press

HAVANA - Colombia's government and the nation's second-largest rebel group ended nearly a week of cordial talks in Cuba on Wednesday with an agreement to set an agenda for formal peace negotiations, a move both sides called significant.

"I think this shows the seriousness with which these conversations have moved forward," said Colombian peace commissioner Luis Carlos Restrepo, the government's envoy, as the discussions wrapped up in Havana. "This commits us as the government to continue moving ahead."

Restrepo said that just months ago, few in Colombia believed a genuine peace process with the National Liberation Army would be possible. The fact that both sides have committed to more face-to-face meetings in Havana at the end of January was "transcendental," he said.

The peace commissioner attributed the success to the "cordial" and "respectful" tone of the talks, which opened Friday.
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Colombian peace commissioner Luis Carlos Restrepo, Comandante Antonio García -ELN-