The Colombian government and leftist rebels of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) are to launch negotiations in October in Norway, dpa cited media as reporting Monday. The talks aim to end a conflict that has dragged on for nearly half a century. The Colombian radio station RCN said the negotiations would be opened in Oslo on October 5, and continue in Cuba. A process would be pursued further later in Cuba. The reporter was RCN's news director, former Colombian vice president Francisco Santos, who is a cousin of current Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos. The government is to announced the start of the talks "in the coming days," the report said. The Venezuelan-based international TV channel Telesur said the memorandum for the start of the talks was signed Monday in Havana. Colombian reporter Jorge Enrique Botero, Telesur's information director, said dialogue between the parties started in May and led to an agreement to hold talks with the help of Cuba, Venezuela and Norway. RCN, however, reported that talks had started a lot earlier, as soon as Santos took office in August 2010 and restored diplomatic ties with Venezuela.
