UN chief concerned about upsurge in fighting in Colombia

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki- moon has expressed his concern over the current upsurge in fighting in Colombia, urging parties involved to persist in the search for peace, said a statement of his spokesperson Thursday.

"The Secretary-General is concerned by the current upsurge in fighting in Colombia following a welcome period of de-escalation in the armed conflict. He encourages the parties to the Havana talks and the Colombian people to remain hopeful and to persist in the search for peace," said the statement.

The UN chief commended the parties for the important progress they have made thus far in negotiations, a process that has brought the country closer to peace. He is confident they can overcome the current impasse and bring the process to a successful conclusion," said the statement.

"He further calls on the parties to resume the path toward de- escalation and accelerate the pace of the negotiations in order to restore momentum and public confidence in the process. He firmly believes that peace is possible as long as Colombians can put this goal above all others and find ways to overcome their differences, both in Havana and in Colombia," said the statement.

The secretary-general reiterated UN's continued commitment to support all efforts toward durable peace in Colombia, said the statement.

Colombia's civil conflict has claimed more than 220,000 lives over the past half century. President Juan Manuel Santos's government has been in peace talks since November 2012 in Havana with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), the country's largest rebel group with an estimated 8,000 fighters. Enditem