Colombian rebel chief vows to fight on

0 Comments | AFP, July, 2008

CARACAS (AFP) — A leader of the Marxist-inspired FARC rebel group vowed to press on with armed warfare in Colombia and ruled out peace talks with President Alvaro Uribe, in an interview with Venezuelan television Wednesday.

"The armed struggle is not up for debate," Ivan Marquez, one of the chief guerrillas in the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia told Venezuela's Telesur, according to excerpts released ahead of the full airing later Wednesday.

"The underlying causes which sparked it have not changed," said Marquez.

FARC is Latin America's oldest insurgency, and its new top leader Alfonso Cano has reportedly been weighing negotiating with the Colombian government after the movement suffered a number of blows in recent months.

The rescue earlier...