Colombia's former right-wing paramilitary leaders said on Thursday they would end peace talks after being thrown into jail last week while they await trial for crimes such as massacre and drug smuggling, Reuters reported. The threat by the once-feared 59 top commanders of the defunct United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia, or AUC, appeared to be a test of their clout as they try to avoid extradition to the United States on drug charges. More than 30,000 AUC members have turned in their guns over the last three years under a deal promising reduced jail terms, part of Colombia's effort at ending 42 years of guerrilla war. Paramilitary spokesman Ivan Roberto Duque, alias Ernesto Baez, told local radio Friday's decision by the government to transfer him and other militia chiefs from a work farm to a high-security prison was a betrayal of confidence. But he said they will abide by accords already signed with the government, adding that they are ready to point their fingers at public officials who have collaborated with their illegal fight against Marxist guerrillas. "The country needs to know the whole truth," he said.
