Outrage in Colombia over a death of a woman killed by a bomb placed around her neck has forced the suspension of a key round of peace talks with left-wing rebels.

President Andres Pastrana said:"The men of violence have placed a necklace of dynamite ... around the hope of all Colombians," and called on the guerrillas to reconsider their strategy.









The authorities say Marxist rebels from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) were to blame for the "barbarous" murder on Monday morning. The rebels deny the charge, saying the woman, a 53-year-old farmer, was killed by the "forces that want to hurt the peace process." "I, along with the leadership of the FARC, condemn this murder and I confirm that it is not one of our methods and that none of our people operate in this zone," rebel commander Ivan Rios told a local radio station. Extortion - or death The incident happened during a dawn raid by armed men on a dairy farm near Chiquinquira, 80 km (50 miles) north of the capital, Bogota.







A necklace of dynamite around the hope of all Colombians

Andres Pastrana

The intruders demanded several thousand dollars in what the rebel guerrillas call a "war tax" and fixed a bomb to the woman's neck after she refused to pay. The "necklace bomb" exploded after bomb disposal experts who were called to the scene spent nearly nine hours trying to defuse it. The woman, Elvira Cortes, died instantly. A bomb squad expert later died in hospital. Three soldiers were maimed. In April, FARC leaders issued what they called "Tax Law 002," warning that they would step up their campaign of kidnappings and extortion against the rich. President's statement







