Bogota, Apr 26 (EFE).– A soldier was killed in combat with FARC guerrillas in a rural area in Cauca, a province in southwestern Colombia, the army said.

The fighting occurred on Saturday outside Paez, a city located about 500 kilometers (310 miles) from Popayan, the capital of Cauca, the army said in a statement.

The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, attacked an army unit on April 15 in the same province, killing 10 soldiers.

The attack interrupted the unilateral and indefinite cease-fire declared by the FARC on Dec. 20 after more than two years of peace talks with the government in Havana.

Earlier this week, international news agency EFE reported on comments by the United States on the shaky peace process in Colombia:

Washington, Apr 21 (EFE).– The top U.S. diplomat for Latin America said Tuesday that Washington backs Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos’ idea of placing “time limits” on the peace talks with the FARC rebel group, which began in November 2012.

In an interview with Efe, Assistant Secretary of State Roberta Jacobson reacted to Santos’ statement that time limits must be placed on the peace process, which has been damaged by the attack carried out last Wednesday by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, that left 11 soldiers dead.

“If the president believes that that is the best way to move the process forward, we’re supporting his efforts,” said Jacobson.

“We’re supporting President Santos and his efforts for peace and we believe, like him, that it’s very important for everyone in that process, the government and the FARC, to have a feeling of urgency. And especially now, at this moment of tension, after an attack that was very serious … it’s urgent to move forward in the peace process,” she added.

Jacobson commented shortly after Secretary of State John Kerry acknowledged in a speech that the recent events in Colombia have demonstrated that the peace process “isn’t easy,” an apparent reference to last week’s attack by the FARC.

When asked if those time limits should conclude this year or next, Jacobson said that that decision must be made by Santos.

“But time is passing and (there’s no time) to delay the process much more, because we’ve had two years of the process already, and we don’t believe either that that the Colombian people have the patience to wait much longer,” she said.

Jacobson noted that “as President Santos has said, the peace process is very difficult to do in pieces.”

“If you ask the people of Colombia, do you like that part of the process? often they tell you ‘No, I don’t’… But if you ask the Colombia people, are you in favor of peace? many, many believe yes,” she said.

“So, it’s very necessary to complete the process because it’s a package, as peace negotiations always are. And therefore, the process needs to end and not be prolonged. I don’t know, and I don’t think the U.S. government does either, if it’s a year or two years or six months, but as quickly as possible,” Jacobson concluded. EFE