BBC NEWS: TERMS SET FOR COLOMBIA FARC TALKS

Colombia’s President Alvaro Uribe has said he is ready to hold peace talks with Colombia’s Farc rebels, but that strict conditions would have to be met.  Farc dropped its demand for a demilitarised area to be set up as a precondition for talks on a swap of rebel hostages for prisoners. 

Farc has launched a new offensive, including a campaign of bomb attacks in cities, since suffering a series of defeats in 2008 – though it has recently suggested it may be willing to pursue “political alternatives”. The government, meanwhile, has been pursuing a strategy of pressuring individual rebel units into abandoning the 45-year civil conflict rather than engaging in high-level talks with the leadership.

Question to the Blogosphere:  Do you think this round of talks will be more successful than previous attempts to release hostages?  Is there a trade off between the protection of human rights and dealing effectively with extremists?  How has Farc changed over time and do we have to wait until the conflict is ripe for negotiations, when the groups are ready to negotiate, to start building common ground?