The World - News from July 13, 1989

An alliance of Colombian guerrilla groups said it wants peace talks with the government, according to a statement published in Bogota’s leading newspapers. The Simon Bolivar Organization, a loose alliance that speaks for five of the nation’s six guerrilla groups, said it wants to work toward “peace with democracy and social justice.” The statement, sent to a special commission appointed by President Virgilio Barco Vargas to advise him on the possibility of peace talks, was published by El Tiempo and El Espectador. The dissenting rebel group, the National Liberation Army, reacted by launching two attacks, one on an oil pipeline and another on oil storage tanks owned by the U.S. company Texaco.