FARC leader declares opposition to drug trade

The head of Colombia's FARC rebels, long believed to fund guerrilla activities via the drug trade, said Monday that he opposes the trade as "counter-revolutionary."

Timoleon Jimenez, known by his nom de guerre "Timochenko," said in an interview posted on the Internet that the FARC is opposed at its core to drug trafficking, "because it has killed many of our colleagues."

Jimenez, chief commander of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, added in the interview that drug trafficking "has slowed development and has done a lot of harm," particularly in terms of "large number of youths" lost to the drug trade.

The rebel leader made his remarks as the Colombian government and the guerrilla group prepared to resume peace talks in Cuba Tuesday which aim to end a half century of armed conflict.

http://news.yahoo.com/farc-leader-declares-opposition-drug-trade-220947882.html

Wonder if this is a prelude to something significant, or just an attempt to appear moderate before the election to sway voters to the Santos camp.