Colombian peace talks fall short

(Vatican Radio) The Colombian peace talks in Cuba have wrapped up for the year. While both sides seem to be congratulating themselves on having resolved only two of the five main issues, the Colombian people, who are weary of the 50-year-old conflict, are far less satisfied.

On 31 January 2013, Ivan Marquez, the chief peace negotiator for the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) said in Cuba: "We didn't come here to waste time."

It may not have been frittered away. But almost one year later, agreement has only been reached on land reform and political participation of the FARC, once the 50-year-old conflict is finally ended.

“We are completely satisfied with what we've agreed on the point of political participation,” said Marquez.

Chief government negotiator Humberto De La Calle, who is a former vice president of Colombia, remains optimistic about the overall peace talks. “Without raising false hopes, the results so far, are important and hopeful,” he said.

Yet how the conflict will be ended and the way in which the FARC will lay down their arms, persuading the FARC to stop drug trafficking and reparations for victims, has yet to be resolved.

The Colombian people who yearn for peace are weary of this long drawn-out process, and Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos' popularity ratings are dipping as a result. He has announced he will be running for re-election in the coming year.

Listen to the report by James Blears: