The delegations of both Colombia’s government and rebel group FARC have arrived in Norway where negotiations will be held to end the country’s almost half-a-century conflict, Colombian media reported Wednesday.
While it was confirmed that the Colombian Air Force airplane carrying the government delegation arrived at the Gardermoen military airport in Hurdal, near the Norwegian capital Oslo, that country’s Foreign Ministry would not confirm the arrival of the air planes carrying the FARC delegation that left the Cuban capital Havana Tuesday.
“We do not confirm when the delegations arrive or leave,” Veslemoy Lothe Salvesen, spokesperson of the Norwegian Foreign Ministry told Spanish press agency Efe.
According to Colombian media, the FARC delegation — led by senior rebel leader Ivan Marquez — arrived hours before the government representatives.
The radio station said Norwegian government officials had taken the guerrillas to a secret location.
The rebel and government representatives will hold their first meeting on Wednesday to discuss logistical matters, reported W Radio.
Formal talks will not begin until Thursday, the two parties announced Tuesday.
The FARC, Latin America’s largest and oldest active guerrilla organization, has been fighting the Colombian state since 1964. According to researchers, the armed conflict has killed more than 100,000 Colombians.
The talks with the administration of President Juan Manuel Santos are the first in ten years.