Colombian President says FARC ceasefire will end this month

The ceasefire with FARC rebels will end on 31 October, according to Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos.

Negotiators have resumed talks in Cuba to try to resurrect a peace deal following its rejection in Sunday's referendum.

"I hope we can move forward to realise the necessary agreement to find a solution to this conflict," Santos said in a televised address.

All sides in Colombia want an end to more than 50 years of fighting, the BBC reported. However opponents of the government insist on a renegotiation of part of the peace deal.

Former President Alvaro Uribe and other government opponents have reportedly said they do not want the rebels to be guaranteed seats in Congress, or their leaders offered immunity from prison.

The peace agreement was reached after four years of formal talks in the Cuban capital, Havana, between government and FARC negotiators.

From early on in the negotiations, Santos announced he would put the final agreement to the Colombian people in a "yes" or "no" vote. Polls suggested the agreement would be approved by a comfortable margin, but on Sunday’s referendum the deal was narrowly rejected by 50.2% of voters.

Both Santos and Farc leader Timochenko have insisted they will not give up on finding a peace deal.

In a video message from Cuba, Timochenko said "peace had come to stay", adding that rebels would continue to observe the bilateral ceasefire they had signed with the government and abide by what they had agreed with the Colombian government.

"The warmongering of those who want to sabotage this peace with dignity will never be stronger than the feelings of harmony, inclusion and social justice," he said.

Earlier he had said that the rebels were prepared to "fix" the deal and that the result of Sunday's vote "does not mean the battle for peace is lost."