Time is definitely short, yet it is sufficient - so it is important to work hard

Camilo Gomez Peace negotiator

Stepping up the pressure on the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), Colombia's chief peace negotiator Camilo Gomez said he wanted a "specific timetable and work plan" within six days time.

He said he thought this was enough time to achieve a breakthrough.

FARC agreed on Monday to return to talks with the government, only hours before an initial deadline for their withdrawal from the safe haven.

Colombian President Andres Pastrana has told the rebels they have six days to produce concrete results in peace talks - otherwise the country's army will storm the FARC's Switzerland-sized enclave.

The talks, which have been stalled since last October, are now to resume on Wednesday.

In a televised address to the nation after the dramatic 11th-hour agreement, President Pastrana claimed a victory for the peace process.

"The peace process continues," he said.

He added that the rebels had given in to a strong show of force by the Colombian armed forces in accepting stricter military controls over the safe haven.

Click here for a map of the FARC's safe haven

But the president said the zone could be officially abolished on 20 January.

"There's less than a week left to decide whether to extend the life of the enclave," Mr Pastrana said. "We haven't reached the goal yet."

UN backing

Rebel negotiator Raul Reyes, said the FARC was satisfied that military controls placed around the safe haven would not endanger the peace talks.

The breakthrough has prevented full-scale military action for now

A BBC correspondent in Colombia says this development could pull the country back from the brink of full-scale military conflict, as government troops had been preparing to take back the FARC zone and pursue the rebels into the jungle.

The breakthrough was announced by France's ambassador to Colombia, Daniel Parfait, who was acting as spokesman for 10 ambassadors who had flown to the demilitarised zone to broker a last-ditch accord.

"The group of facilitating countries states that conditions exist to resume talks immediately," said Mr Parfait.

UN envoy James LeMoyne, who has played an active role in mediating between the sides, said the agreement had the full backing of the United Nations.

UN Secretary General Kofi Annan welcomed the deal, urging the parties "to maintain the momentum generated over the past 48 hours, with a view to making substantive progress toward a peaceful settlement."

"We thank Mr LeMoyne, who has contributed so much to this work for peace," said a senior FARC commander, Raul Reyes, after Mr Parfait's announcement.

President Pastrana also made a point of publicly thanking the UN envoy.

Hours before deadline

The Colombian army had moved a 12,000-strong contingent backed by helicopter gunships to the edge of the zone, as the FARC dismantled their checkpoints and began to move out from the zone's five main towns.

There are an estimated 16,500 FARC rebels, armed mainly with Kalashnikov assault rifles.

Safe haven

Created in November 1998 Size of Switzerland Population at least 100,000 Has its own FARC-run courts and radio station

The FARC had agreed to leave by 0230 GMT on Tuesday after Colombian President Andres Pastrana rejected their draft proposal for salvaging peace talks on Saturday night.

Residents had said they feared reprisals by right-wing paramilitaries who might fill the vacuum left by any FARC retreat.

In San Vicente, residents rejoiced at the news of the deal.

The local radio broadcast a song entitled "We are Peace" and drivers honked horns and waved Colombian flags, the Reuters news agency reported.

"For the first time, the government acted tough and made the FARC accept their point of view. That hadn't happened in these three and a half years," a retired army general, Alvaro Valencia, told Reuters.

A failure to bring the rebels back to the negotiating table would have brought to a halt a three year effort to end the 38-year old war, which has claimed 40,000 lives in the past decade alone.