09-07-2015: Latin American Weekly Report

The ‘guarantor nations’ Cuba and Norway made their appeal to both sides on 7 July. The very next day the head of the Farc negotiating team in Havana, ‘Iván Márquez’ (Luciano Marín Arango), read a direct response from the Farc high command, or secretariat, promising to impose a month-long unilateral ceasefire to “generate favourable conditions to advance towards ... the concretion of a bilateral and definitive ceasefire”. President Santos recognised the “gesture” but said it was “insufficient”, calling for the Farc to expedite the talks “especially in the area of justice” as a bilateral ceasefire could only be possible when a general accord is struck.