Colombia's Farc guerillas invite Miss Universe help broach peace deal with government

The newly crowned Miss Universe, Colombian Paulina Vega, has been invited by the country's Farc guerrillas to help broach a peace agreement between them and the government.

The Marxist paramilitary organisation, which has been battling government forces for 50 years, said it was keen for Vega to take part in the Cuba peace talks, after she said she wanted to help bring about peace in her country.

"We have read with interest about your desire to contribute your services to achieve peace and reconciliation between Colombians," Farc said in a statement on its website, reports CNN.

"We salute your willingness to travel to Havana at the same time that we invite you to make the trip to exhibit the development of the process of talks."

Miss Vega, 22, a business administration student at Bogota university, declared her wish for peace in Colombia in interviews before she was crowned Miss Universe in Miami last month. The rebel group emphasised that they considered her input to the peace talks important.

"Rest assured that there is complete willingness to respond to your concerns and to value your opinions as a valuable contribution to peace," the statement said.

The deadlocked talks are the latest attempt to forge a peace settlement between the Colombian government and FARC, which began as a leftist insurgency group in 1964.

The group has engaged in kidnappings, murder and extortion in its war with the government, and has seized control of lucrative drugs trafficking routes from Colombia, the world's second-largest cocaine-producing nation.

It is regarded as a terrorist organisation by the European Union and the US.

Vega is yet to respond to the request.