Colombia's FARC denies seeking impunity for suspected war criminals

Colombia's FARC guerrillas on Friday said they were not seeking impunity for members accused of war crimes in the decades-long conflict, Latin America's longest running insurgency.

Speaking at a fresh round of peace talks in Havana aimed at ending the conflict, a negotiator from the leftist Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia said the group was not seeking to absolve accused war criminals.

"We're not speaking of impunity in Havana," negotiator Ricardo Tellez told reporters at the talks, which have been going on since November 2012.  

"Granting impunity would not be recognizing responsibility," he added.

The punishment the guerrillas could face if a peace accord is signed is one of the toughest sticking points in the talks, and one of the most sensitive issues on the agenda.

"We repeat: before applying the criminal justice process, it is imperative to know the truth," Tellez said.

He said a Truth Commission should be set up immediately in order to investigate alleged abuses. Last month, both parties agreed to establish the commission.

Talks between the government and FARC, the country's largest rebel group, resumed Thursday. Both parties have agreed in principle to de-escalate hostilities, though sporadic clashes continue.

On Thursday, the government said one of its soldiers was killed in skirmishes with FARC guerillas earlier in the week.

Tellez said there was a sense of urgency in this round of talks, and told reporters the remaining agenda items would be tackled simultaneously.   

"The idea is to accelerate the negotiations," he said.

The format of this latest round of talks is different, with negotiators breaking up into working groups to work through different issues.

Two other major issues on the agenda include how to compensate victims, and the signing of a final peace agreement.

This is the 39th round of talks between the government and rebels, and is scheduled to last 11 days.