Colombian leader urges intensified battle against rebels

Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos Friday called for intensified strikes against two rebel forces until peace deals were reached, China's Xinhua news agency reported. Marking the 121st anniversary of Colombia's National Police, Santos said his administration had offered the Armed Revolutionary Forces of Colombia (FARC) and National Liberation Army (ELN) "sincere and open dialogues" to bring an end to some 50 years of armed conflict.

"Meanwhile, the power of our military forces will not only continue, but intensify," he said at a police academy in southern Bogota, accompanied by his counterparts -- Laura Chinchilla from Costa Rica, and Porfirio Lobo from Honduras. "We say to the FARC and the ELN, that the instructions of our forces are clear and conclusive. There is no room for thought here."

The FARC has some 10,000 members, while the ELN has about 3,000.

Costa Rican and Honduran presidents attended the event in appreciation of Colombia's training of security forces in their countries.