NEGOTIATING THE SURRENDER:

Farc 'wants Colombia peace talks' (BBC, 6/24/06)

Colombia's left-wing guerrillas, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc), have said they are prepared to negotiate with the government.

Farc would talk to President Alvaro Uribe if he ended US-backed operations against them and demilitarised swathes of jungle territory, a spokesman said.

The group is also prepared to exchange some 60 hostages, the spokesman told Venezuelan TV channel TeleSur.

Mr Uribe has stressed he will not agree to the guerrillas' terms.

When one side in a conflict oiffers to negotiate they've already lost.

Posted by Orrin Judd at June 24, 2006 10:06 AM