The president of Colombia on Wednesday rejected a vague offer of talks by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) rebel group.
“We don’t want more rhetoric, the country only wants real statements toward peace,” President Juan Manuel Santos said on his Twitter account.
Santos was responding to a statement made by FARC head Timoleon Jimenez, known as “Timochenko,” who said the leftist rebel group “would be interested in speaking about issues at a hypothetical negotiating table,” according to the website run by the rebel group. Jimenez did not elaborate on what he meant by “hypothetical,” however.
The government last held peace talks with the Marxist–Leninist guerrilla group, the oldest insurgency group in Latin America, around a decade ago. However, those talks broke down after FARC hijacked a plane, kidnapping of a Colombian senator in the process in 2002.
“They can forget a new Caguan,” Santos added, referring to the demilitarized zone where the peace talks were held in 2002.
Over the past several years, FARC has been weakened, after losing top commanders and several thousand fighters.
Former FARC leader Alfonso Cano was killed by Colombian soldiers in November, leading to the appointment of Jimenez.
