Weekly Report - 27 March 2013 (WR-13-12)

The government underpinned its confidence that peace talks with the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (Farc) in Havana can be concluded this year by calling for a social forum on political participation, the second point of the peace process, to be set up for the end of April. The Farc, however, is not working to this deadline and seems content to string out the first point of the talks on land reform. After maintaining that it was close to an accord over land last week it fleshed out a controversial demand it first made last February - an expansion of peasant zones (ZRC) in Colombia to comprise 9.5m hectares (ha) of national territory with sweeping autonomy in running their affairs. The government negotiating team cannot acquiesce to such a huge demand.