A truth commission to probe abuses in Colombia's half-century-old conflict should be h
eld after, not before, peace is reached with leftist rebels, Bogota's top negotiator said Sunday.
Humberto de la Calle's remark was the first government reaction to a proposal raised eight months ago by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) in talks between the two sides to resolve their differences.
"There can be no end to the conflict without truth," said de la Calle, a former Colombian vice president.
The government of President Juan Manuel Santos sees such a commission as "a real instrument for peace and not as a tactical tool for negotiations," he added.
The FARC, a leftist guerrilla group, has been at war with the state since 1964. Considered Latin America's longest-running insurgency, the fighting has left hundreds of thousands dead and displaced 4.5 million.
- Progress made on drugs -
De la Calle's comments came as both sides headed into an eight-day break in closed-door talks in the Cuban capital Havana that began in November 2012.
FARC guerrillas and negotiators for the government said in a joint statement that they "have advanced substantially" on aspects of the talks focused on illegal drugs.
Lead FARC negotiator Ivan Marquez also thanked former Colombian president Ernesto Samper (1994-1998) for suggesting that Colombia could accept Guantanamo detainees -- as Washington has requested -- in exchange for the release of two FARC commanders imprisoned in the United States on drug trafficking charges.
The FARC have repeatedly asked for the release of Simon Trinidad, one of the jailed commanders, so that he can participate in the peace talks, which have been underway without a ceasefire.
Separately in Colombia Sunday, a marine was killed and five others wounded when FARC rebels ambushed their patrol in the southern province of Narino, the navy said.
And in the southwestern valley of Cauca, the army said soldiers confiscated 1.2 tonnes of marijuana belonging to the FARC in a stash hidden in a cane field.
Aside from marijuana, Colombia, along with Peru, are the world's biggest cocaine producers, according to United Nations figures.
Source: AFP
