Bogota, October 29 (PL-RHC)-- President Juan Manuel Santos urged on Wednesday insurgents of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia-People's Army (FARC-EP) to speed up talks in Cuba leading to decree an internationally verifiable bilateral truce as of January 1st, 2016.

Both parties said they would do everything possible to sign by March 23, 2016 a peace pact, Santos recalled after urging to speed up the negotiations between the government representatives and the rebel group, ongoing in Havana since November, 2012.

Last month, the two delegations reached an agreement on transitional justice, deemed crucial as it is one of the most complex issues in the preliminary agenda agreed for the talks, establishing the basic mechanisms to investigate, judge and punish those involved in the over 50-year confrontation.

If we make this effort to advance, as we have done on the issue of the end of conflict, and we are willing to, at least the Government is absolutely willing to and those are the instructions given to our negotiators, we can proceed in that direction, said Santos, who insisted in the possibility to silence all rifles from New Year on.

On July 20, the FARC-EP issued a unilateral ceasefire, which was followed by a Government order to stop Army bombings of the rebel camps, steps oriented to curb or de-escalate the internal conflict.

Santos also announced that this week a delegation of Colombian legislators will travel to Havana to explain the procedures in Congress related to the process of easing of tension, a project called legislative act for peace.