Colombian FARC rebels holding peace negotiations in Havana on Wednesday said they were committed to moving forward in the talks, but shrugged off their president's call to pick up the pace.
"As far as the FARC is concerned, we are locked at the negotiating table until we sign an agreement to end the conflict," said rebel negotiator Andres Paris.
He said that if the government should want to seek a pause ahead of Colombian legislative and presidential elections next year, the Marxist rebels would agree. But Paris said no such request had been made.
Indeed, just Tuesday Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos urged FARC rebels to move faster in the negotiations under way in Cuba for almost a year now.
"I ask the FARC again: let's get this process moving faster," Santos said at an event ahead of the November 18 first anniversary of a dialogue.
The Marxist Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), with an estimated 8,000 fighters, have been waging an insurgency against the state since 1964.
After 11 months of negotiations, the Bogota government and leftist fighters have reached a deal on just one key issue — land reform — with progress stalled on four other agenda items, notably how the FARC will give up their weapons and enter the political process.
But negotiator Paris indicated that Santos' desire to speed to a deal in a year's time is his timetable — and no one else's.
On the FARC said, Paris said, "we have moved forward fast enough."
"By all means, it would be great if we could iron out political participation or even all the agenda points" by November 19, he said.
