BOGOTA, Sept. 7 (UPI) -- There will be "no cease-fire of any kind" during negotiations between the Colombian government and FARC rebels, President Juan Manuel Santos said.
The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, usually known by its acronym, proposed the cease-fire Thursday, MercoPress reported. Talks between the two sides are scheduled next month in Oslo, Norway.
"I have asked that military operations be intensified, that there will be no cease-fire of any kind," Santos said, speaking at a military base near Bogota. "We won't cede anything at all until we reach the final agreement. That should be very clear."
The FARC have been fighting in Colombia since 1964, making it the oldest insurgent group in South or Central America. Ten years ago, during the last attempt to end the insurgency, the FARC moved into a demilitarized area and set up a base.
Mauricio Jaramillo, the FARC's senior commander, said the group would propose a cease-fire as the first item on the agenda once the talks begin.
