Colombia to restart peace talks with insurgents ELN rebels and leftwing guerrillas agreed to restart talks within a month and to hold discussions about political issues.
The rebel leader will be the first to meet the president in person since the president’s inauguration.
If the talks fail to reach a solution by the deadline of Friday, the rebels will walk out of the talks with a demand for the government to respect their demands.
The talks were held at Colombia’s most remote military post in far northern Boyaca, a place with no electricity and only three cellphone connections.
Colombian officials will host the negotiations, with the hope that negotiators can reach a quick resolution.
Officials say they expect a high turnout and fear it could turn violent if rebels refuse to negotiate.
The UN will act as an observer in the talks.
The rebels have been seeking to end a half-century conflict.
The communist guerrillas – known as the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia- or FARC – had ruled much of Colombia for close to half a century before they were ousted by right-wing rebels in the 1990s, then fought to recover their territory until 2001.
The talks come as rebels were holding a massive offensive in the south of the country.
Colombia’s government estimates that the rebels have killed up to 2,000 civilians and injured up to 6,000, prompting fears for the future of the region.