Colombia government, FARC close to peace deal: mediator Norway

Reuters
Norway's Foreign Minister Borge Brende delivers his speech during a meeting at the World Climate Change Conference 2015 (COP21) at Le Bourget, near Paris, France, December 7, 2015. REUTERS/Stephane Mahe

FINSTADJORDET, Norway (Reuters) - The Colombian government and the rebel Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) are making progress in peace talks, and a deal to end Latin America's longest-running conflict is in sight, Norway's foreign minister said on Tuesday. "We're making progress in Colombia and I think we hopefully are close to a deal," Borge Brende told a conflict-resolution seminar. Norway and Cuba mediate the talks. The five-decade conflict in Colombia has cost at least 220,000 lives. (Reporting by Stine Jacobsen; Writing by Gwladys Fouche; Editing by Catherine Evans)