Colombian peace talks put off a week

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BOGOTA, Nov. 13 (UPI) -- Formal peace talks between the Colombian government and guerrilla soldiers in a 48-year-old conflict have been put off until next week, officials said.

Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos said negotiations with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, also know as FARC, were temporarily on hold while the two sides finalize the structure of the negotiations and "citizen participation," The Miami Herald reported Tuesday.

The talks will begin in earnest Monday, Santos said.

The Colombian government surprised many when it announced negotiations happening secretly in Cuba had set the stage for the first legitimate peace talks between Bogota and the Marxist forces have been waging guerrilla warfare for decades.

Negotiations aim to end the violence and set a path forward for FARC political involvement, the Herald said.