Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos said Wednesday his government will not sign a "bad deal" with FARC rebels just to meet the two sides' self-imposed deadline to make peace by March 23.

"If we haven't reached a good deal by the 23rd, I'm telling the other side we should set another date because I won't meet a deadline with a bad deal," Santos said, after the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) also questioned the feasibility of the deadline announced six months ago.