Colombian peace talks end year with praise for progress

Negotiators concluded the year's last round of Colombian peace talks Friday with the chief government representative praising the progress made as "important and hopeful." "Never before have we advanced so much in terms of agreements with the FARC as we have on this occasion," said Humberto de la Calle, the lead government negotiator. "With all responsibility and without raising false hopes, I can say that the results achieved so far in the talks with the FARC are important and hopeful," he said. The government of President Juan Manuel Santos has been in peace talks with the FARC, the country's largest leftist rebel group, since November 2012. They have reached consensus on two issues -- rural development and the political reintegration of demobilized rebels -- but tough issues remain, including disarming the guerrillas. The talks are aimed at ending a near 50-year-old insurgency, Latin America's longest. Three previous attempts at a negotiated settlement of the conflict failed. But de la Calle said the progress made so far "shows us that the dream of a country at peace is possible. It shows us that it is possible to reach the end of the conflict." The chief FARC negotiator, Ivan Marquez, used his remarks at the close of the week's talks to push for a constituent assembly to approve any agreement, a proposal the government has rejected.