Is there hope for Colombia’s peace talks?
Will President Santos’s hopes of succeeding where his predecessors failed, be derailed by military official’s abduction?
The fate of peace talks between the Colombian government and the armed group FARC is in question. Both sides have been meeting in Havana, Cuba, to come up with details of a peace agreement.
But the two-year-old talks are now on hold. President Juan Manuel Santos called them off after FARC rebels abducted a top military official. The group says it is committed to the talks and hopes they can resume soon.
Santos has made reaching a peace deal with the armed group a major priority.
Could the abduction threaten negotiations which aim to end Latin America’s longest conflict?
Not everyone thinks talks are the right way to go. Critics at home say Santos is too soft on FARC. They prefer a military solution.
So, should Santos get tough on FARC? Or should he let the talks run their course?
Presenter: Jane Dutton
Guests:
Virginia Bouvier – Senior Program Officer for Latin America at the United States Institute of Peace.
Carlos Caicedo – Senior Principal Analyst for Latin America at IHS Country Risk.
Christian Voelkel – Senior Analyst with the Colombia/Andes Project at the International Crisis Group.