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Hurdal (Norway), Oct 19 (IANS) The Colombian government and the leftist guerilla group Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) have held a new round of peace talks here. The FARC has been waging an armed rebellion in Colombia for nearly five decades, the longest in South America, which has displaced over five million people. Four negotiators from each side participated in the talks Thursday. Norway, Cuba, Venezuela and Chile are supporting the initiative. Hurdal is about 80 km from Oslo. Chief government negotiator Humberto de la Calle and his FARC counterpart Ivan Marquez expressed willingness to resolve the conflict through dialogue. Two previous attempts for peace between the two sides, in 1984 and 1998-2002, failed, Xinhua reported. The negotiators agreed to hold a second round of talks in Havana Nov 15. The focus of that meeting will be FARC's participation in Colombian national politics. Issues like agrarian reform, drug trafficking and human rights are also on the agenda. Marquez said he and his comrades came to Norway with an olive branch. But, 'We will not allow this process to be hijacked by capitalists who want to enrich themselves.' He said that 75 percent of the population in Colombia lives in poverty. The government negotiator said he was optimistic about the new round of peace talks. 'Both sides have done a good job in reopening negotiations,' he said. Tone Allers, director for peace and reconciliation in the Norwegian foreign ministry, said the talks marked 'the beginning of a long process'. The visitors arrived in Oslo Wednesday and were scheduled to return Friday.
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