Columbia to hold peace talks with the FARC terrorist group

Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos has confirmed his government is holding exploratory talks with the country's largest rebel group, the Farc.

In an address on state TV, Mr Santos said he was fulfilling his "duty to seek peace". Media reports say a deal on further talks was reached in Cuba.

The Farc has been fighting the Colombian government since 1964.

The president said the second biggest rebel group, the ELN, had also indicated a readiness to talk.

According to the regional media network Telesur, negotiators from the two sides signed a preliminary agreement in the Cuban capital Havana on Monday.

Telesur said the first round of peace talks would be held in the Norwegian capital Oslo on 5 October. Negotiators would then continue holding talks in Havana, it added.

Referring to previous failed talks with the Farc during the government of then-president Andres Pastrana, Mr Santos said his government had "learned from the mistakes committed in the past".

The Farc also re-stated their openness to talks in March. Following the death of Alfonso Cano in a bombing raid, the Farc's new leader, known as Timochenko, said it was "worth betting on peace".

Colombian security forces have achieved a series of successes against the rebel group in recent years, killing some of its key leaders and arresting many others.

But officials estimate that some 8,000 Farc guerrillas are still fighting Latin America's longest-running insurgency.

Negotiators from the Colombian government and left-wing Farc rebels have set the stage for their first direct talks for a decade.

Colombia's negotiator said both sides agreed on the need for social change.

Farc delegation head Ivan Marquez said they came "with an olive branch" but peace did not mean "arms go quiet".

Colombian chief negotiator Humberto de la Calle told reporters that Thursday's talks were "a very important historical moment" and the second part of a process that began with exploratory negotiations in February.

The third step would be the signing of an agreement to "put an end to armed conflict", Mr de la Calle said, adding that the final agreement would be "put to the public".

At least 20 Farc rebels have been killed in Colombia after the military launched bombing strikes on one of their camps, the army says.

Saturday's raid is said to be the biggest military operation against Farc since peace talks began in October.

According to government estimates, 600,000 people have died since the conflict began in Colombia, with millions more displaced.

The Farc numbered 16,000 in 2001 but are now thought to have some 8,000 fighters.

Peace talks between the Colombian government and Farc rebels have resumed in Cuba, after a week's break.

In a statement, the rebels hinted that there was still a long way to go before they could reach an agreement to end five decades of conflict.

The Colombian government has said a peace deal should be reached in a matter of months, not years.

It has continued its military attacks on Farc camps, despite a unilateral ceasefire declared by the rebels.