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U.S. urges Colombian rebels to return to peace talks

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- The United States on Wednesday urged Colombia's top Marxist rebel group to return to peace talks it broke off after accusing Bogota of laying the ground for a Vietnam-style U.S. military intervention.

A State Department spokesman said the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) was trying to avoid confronting the issue of a cease-fire but added this was only a temporary setback.

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Latin America's largest rebel army made its announcement at a meeting in the Colombian jungle on Tuesday where guerrilla commanders and government delegates were supposed to outline terms for their first bilateral cease-fire in 13 years.

"Although we believe that this is only a temporary setback to the peace process, we are disappointed that the FARC appears to be engaging once again in a subterfuge to avoid substantive discussions with the government," the spokesman said.

"Rather than finding excuses to delay the talks, the FARC should be seeking to address their concerns through the peace process. A negotiated settlement provides the best way to resolve these problems and reach national reconciliation," he added.

The FARC accused the Colombian government not only of laying the groundwork for U.S. intervention but also of failing to halt right-wing "terrorism."

Both the FARC, Latin America's biggest rebel army, and right-wing paramilitaries, which kill leftists and suspected rebel sympathizers, profit from cocaine production.

The FARC controls areas where the crop is grown and raises levies from its producers, effectively as protection money.

The group was expected to make a cease-fire offer conditional on President Andres Pastrana dropping "Plan Colombia," under which he is gearing up to launch a U.S.-backed offensive against drug crops and rebel strongholds.

The United States is sending $1.3 billion in mostly military aid for the anti-drug effort but insists its troops will not get dragged into fighting like in Vietnam. The FARC said the plan was "the first step toward an invasion."

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