CARACAS : Of Peace and Gunfire
Colombian guerrillas and government representatives have scheduled a meeting Wednesday in neighboring Venezuela to resume peace talks begun in June.
Despite ongoing talks, guerrillas have intensified attacks. Last week, 11 people were killed in a fight between members of the Colombian Revolutionary Armed Forces (FARC), the largest guerrilla army, and a civilian self-defense group in rural Tolima province.
But guerrillas have said the recent appointment of a civilian defense minister, Rafael Pardo, was a positive step by the government. Retired military officers have called the appointment a concession to the guerrillas by President Cesar Gaviria.
In the past year and a half, three other Colombian guerrilla organizations have carried out peace agreements by giving up their arms.
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