The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia-People's Army (FARC-EP) expressed their solidarity today with the struggle carried out by peasants, coffee growers, cocoa workers, vendors, coal merchants, and transportation workers in defense of their rights.
Ivan Marquez, head of the FARC-EP delegation involved in peace talks with representatives of the Colombian government, criticized Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos, who in his inauguration speech promised prosperity for farm workers.
"Those farmers are currently being attacked with bullets and teargas by Mobile Anti-Riot Squads in the country's towns and on its highways," Marquez said.
While the coffee growers' express their discontent due to neglect of the sector, the government is refusing to negotiate.
The FARC-EP rejected Colombia's Ministry of Agriculture's justifying its brutal repression by saying that it is the FARC who are stirring up and aggravating people's feelings.
The FARC-EP reiteratd today its proposal that small and medium coffee farms be the focus of immediate protective measures, such as subsidies and compensation aimed at overcoming the structural crisis in the sector, said Marquez.
The parties are immersed in the sixth round of peace talks which began in Havana on November 19, under the format of three days of talks followed by one day of recess. The land issue is at the heart of the attempt to end decades of conflict in the South American country.
In addition to the agricultural issue, the agenda agreed to by the FARC-EP and the government includes political participation, an end to the conflict, the drug trafficking problem, care for victims, and verification and signing mechanisms for any agreement reached at the negotiation table.