Colombian bishops praise government’s willingness to dialogue with Marxist rebels

May 16, 2006 / 22:00 pm

The president of the Bishops’ Conference of Colombia, Archbishop Luis Augusto Castro, praised the proposal by the country’s president, Alvaro Uribe, to hold talks with the Revolutionary Forces of Colombia (FARC) if the Marxist rebel group agrees to cease hostilities.

Uribe said Tuesday he was willing to reach out to the FARC in order to motivate the group to enter into a peace process with the government or to establish a humanitarian accord for the release of those who have been kidnapped.

Archbishop Castro said he would remind Uribe of his statements down the road when immediate decisions about the talks would have to be made.  He said he hoped to see “readiness and good will on the part of the FARC in order to seek out ways to bring the sides together.”

As the country gears up for presidential elections on May 28, the Church in Colombia has temporarily halted its efforts to bring the government and the FARC together in peace talks.