Colombia to speed up probe into spying against peace delegation

 Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos on Wednesday urged authorities to speed up their probe into alleged spying by members of the military on the government's delegation to peace talks with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). During a public event in Bogota, Santos said the results of the investigation should be revealed by the end of next week. "This investigation has already begun and ... I have ordered the army inspector to deliver the results no later than the end of next week," he said. The spying revelations, which threatened to derail the peace talks, were made public Monday in an article in the Colombian magazine Semana. According to the national magazine, inside a secret intelligence center in Bogota, army members worked with young civilian hackers to intercept the e-mails and instant messages of the government's peace negotiators, including delegation head Humberto de la Calle. On Tuesday, Santos condemned the "illegal use of intelligence" following a meeting with the defense minister, National Police director and top military officials. But on Wednesday he seemed to have a reversal of his reaction, saying these intelligence centers are "totally legal." "These operations are within the intelligence law and there is nothing irregular about that," he said. "All the intelligence agencies in the world use these centers. Intelligence is not only a duty but an obligation of any government, because intelligence helps the world to progress in technology and helps protect the security of governments or citizens," he added. The Colombian government and the FARC began peace talks in November in 2012 in the Cuban capital of Havana, seeking an agreement that will end the half-century-old armed conflict in the country.