Norway declined Tuesday to confirm reports that it would host peace talks between the Colombian government and leftist rebels of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), according to dpa. "We think it is best that the parties themselves comment on the ongoing dialogue, when they are ready to do so," a Norwegian Foreign Ministry spokesman told dpa. Media reports Monday indicated that talks aimed at ending the 50-year-old conflict could commence in early October, possibly in the Norwegian capital of Oslo before moving on to Cuba. "We wish to commend the parties for wishing to seek a peaceful solution to a conflict that has run for several decades, and cost too many lives and prevented Colombia to develop peacefully," the spokesman added.
