Colombia's FARC rebels reject fixed deadline for disarmament

The leader of Colombia's FARC guerrilla group on Friday refused a demand by the government to established "a fixed deadline" for its disarmament.

Top commander of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC),Timoleon Jimenez, declared on Friday that the disarmament of his group could not be done according to a "fixed deadline," as Bogota has demanded before a final peace accord is signed in Cuba.

"The timeline cannot be open for one of the parties and fixed for the other. We must be cautious...in order to keep the agreements developed at the same pace," wrote Jimenez on the FARC website.

The FARC leader, also known as Timochenko, pointed out that disarming his troops involved "complex issues," which has prevented the setting of a firm deadline.

He mentioned the right-wing paramilitary groups that fought the leftist guerrillas for decades. Though they have been disbanded a decade ago, the FARC says the paramilitary remnants will come after them if they disarm.

"One cannot expect one side to lay down the arms and reincorporate civilian life while the other does not meet its commitments. Keeping our weapons does not interest as much as keeping our lives," Jimenez wrote.

Despite remaining differences at the negotiation table, which prevented a final peace deal from being signed by the March 23 deadline, Jimenez said he is confident that the FARC would sign a peace agreement with the government of President Juan Manuel Santos.

The peace talks, which have been going on in Cuba since November 2012, are meant to end the FARC's 52-year conflict with the government, which has killed over 220,000 people and displaced more than 6 million others.

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