20 Sep 2011 11:33 Source: Alertnet // Anastasia Moloney

By Anastasia Moloney

BOGOTA (AlertNet) - Ending Colombia’s long-running armed conflict must involve negotiations with rebel groups and not just military action against the insurgents, the head of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Colombia told El Tiempo newspaper.

“I continue to believe that peace is achieved through dialogue and not surrender,” ICRC chief in Colombia, Christophe Beney, recently told the paper in a rare interview. “All guerrilla members we’ve spoken to say they want peace – that’s not news. The mechanisms needed to get there are the main challenges.”

“I’m convinced that the (Colombian) government as much as the guerrillas want peace,” he added

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