Colombia ceasefire talks

Colombian government and rebel negotiators are today meeting to discuss a possible ceasefire as part of attempts to end the long-running armed conflict.

The high commissioner for peace, Camilo Gomez, who heads the government delegation, has said that halting hostilities is a priority.

But a BBC correspondent in Bogota says that the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia first want assurances that an international conference on illicit drug crops will go ahead as planned at the end of the month.

President Andres Pastrana suspended the conference on Tuesday, accusing the FARC of killing a woman by placing a bomb around her neck.

Investigators say there is so far no concrete evidence that the rebels were responsible.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service