Colombia's FARC wants peace if gov't guarantees safety

The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia's (FARC) negotiating delegation reiterated here Thursday its willingness to lay down arms in the name of peace with Colombia's government as long as the safety of its members was guaranteed.

The armed group's reaffirmation was contained in a statement read to the media at the Palace of Conventions in Havana.

"We reaffirm our decision to relinquish weapons," said FARC representative Ricardo Tellez, reading the statement from the insurgent group.

The Colombian government and the guerrilla movement have been holding peace talks in Havana since late 2012.

Tellez called for a "prior guarantee" that FARC militants could "join civilian life without risk to their lives."

As a gesture of peace and good will, the FARC Wednesday announced a unilateral ceasefire for a month from July 20 in order to minimize the domestic armed conflict, which has caused dozens of casualties on both sides in recent weeks.

Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos welcomed FARC's announcement of a unilateral ceasefire Wednesday, but said the measure was "insufficient." The country's largest rebel group has long called for a bilateral ceasefire, but Santos has refused, saying the only letup in fighting will come at the end of a definitive peace deal.

"If this ceasefire comes with several concrete commitments toward a definitive bilateral ceasefire, then we're talking about very serious and important progress in attaining peace," Santos said. Endi