BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Colombia's chief government negotiator in peace talks with the nation's last remaining rebel group says officials are still committed to reaching a new cease-fire agreement despite fresh guerrilla attacks that put a pause on the dialogue.
In a televised address Thursday, Gustavo Bell said both sides will need to act quickly because part of the United Nations commission overseeing the prior, temporary cease-fire that ended Tuesday has already begun to disband.
President Juan Manuel Santos recalled Bell from peace talks in Ecuador Wednesday after guerrillas with the National Liberation Army staged several new attacks. One soldier was killed and two marines injured in the incidents.
Bell's recall signified a considerable setback in talks that began last February to put an end to Colombia's final remaining rebel conflict.