Havana, August 31 (teleSUR-RHC)-- The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) proposed to create a pact on Sunday with the Colombian government in order to find people who have been forcibly disappeared as a result of the internal armed conflict in the country.

The suggestion was made by FARC rebel commander Ivan Marquez in the context the International Day for the Victims of Enforced Disappearances and the end of the 40th round of peace negotiations between the FARC, and the Colombian government.
    
“We believe the (negotiating parties) should agree on commitments for deescalation that includes the search for missing persons, considering that no exceptional circumstances whatsoever — whether a state of war or threat of war, political instability or any other public emergency — should be used as a justification for not taking measures to prevent further victimization,” said Marquez on behalf of the FARC negotiating team.

According to the Colombian prosecutor’s office, the armed conflict has resulted in 50,000 case of forced disappearances, a figure greater than the number of disappearances during the dictatorships of Argentina and Chile combined.

The FARC and Colombian government are already cooperating on a demining pilot project throughout the country. A joint effort to search for people forcibly disappeared as a result of the armed conflict would build on the success of the de-mining initiative and bring about a further de-escalation of the conflict.

A joint statement released on Sunday announced the efforts to remove mines would continue in the province of Antioquia. The program was briefly suspended on July 15 after the death of a Colombian soldier carrying out de-mining duties. According to Semana magazine, mines alone have caused injury or death to 11,000 people since 1990.

The FARC negotiating team expressed optimism at the progress of the talks, saying, “We made progress. The process moves towards the Final Agreement.”

The FARC and Colombian government have been holding formal peace discussions since 2012 in negotiations that have progressed further than other recent efforts to end the five-decade-long conflict.

The negotiating parties have reached partial agreements on three of five agenda topics. The 41st round of negotiations, taking place in Havana, Cuba, will begin on September 11.

“Achieving peace will be the greatest triumph of the Colombian people,” said Marquez Sunday.