Colombia defense minister says troop cuts after peace 'big
mistake'  BOGOTA Thu Oct 31, 2013 8:43pm EDT  1 of 3. Colombia's
Defense Minister Juan Carlos Pinzon responds to a question
during an interview with Reuters in Bogota, October 31, 2013.
Credit: Reuters/Fredy Builes  Related Topics  BOGOTA (Reuters) -
It would be a "big mistake" for Colombia to reduce troop numbers
or cut its security budget if a peace agreement is signed with
Marxist FARC rebels to end a half century of war, the defense
minister said on Thursday.  Colombia has struggled through a
year of slow-paced talks with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of
Colombia (FARC) in an effort to end a conflict that has killed
more than 200,000 people since it began in 1964. Meanwhile the
FARC has stepped up combat pressure.  "It would be a big
mistake, because even if the terrorist organization disappears,
it doesn't mean many of its crimes disappear," Defense Minister
Juan Carlos Pinzon told Reuters in his Bogota office, ruling out
any changes to the arm