COLOMBIA’S president has called for accelerated talks with Marxist rebels with the goal of establishing a ceasefire by Christmas.

In a speech on Wednesday, President Juan Manuel Santos said that he was willing to call a truce with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc) before the agreed March deadline for a peace agreement.

“Why don’t we give a good Christmas or new year gift to the country?” he said. “The political will exists, at least for my part, and these are the instructions I’ve given to the negotiators so we can proceed in that direction.”

Mr Santos had previously insisted that no ceasefire could be declared until a final agreement to end the 50-year war was signed.

The Farc declared a unilateral ceasefire on July 20 in a bid to reach a deal at talks in the Cuban capital Havana.

The government, in turn, pledged to “de-escalate” its military campaign against the rebels, although that fell short of a formal ceasefire.