Colombia Rebels, Govt. Head to Norway for Peace Talks

Negotiators for Colombia's government and leftist FARC rebels headed to Norway on Tuesday for peace talks aimed at ending the longest insurgency in Latin America, officials said.

The FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) team left from Cuba, according to Carlos Lozano, head of Colombia's Communist party. The government side departed from the Colombian capital Bogota.

Much is at stake: an end to Latin America's longest-running guerrilla conflict. The talks are scheduled to begin on Thursday in Oslo.

The government's chief negotiator, Humberto de la Calle, said prior to departure that he was hopeful and moderately optimistic.

"We do not want to create false expectations, but we do believe there are structural elements that allow us to harbor hope that we will see good news for Colombia," de la Calle said.

These talks will be the first in a decade.

A first, preliminary round will be held in Oslo, and later, tougher negotiations will be carried out in Havana.