Colombia number 2 rebel group agrees to talks with gov't
Iran Press TV
Thu Jan 8, 2015 9:14AM
Colombia's second largest leftist guerrilla group has opened doors to peace talks with the government aimed at ending the half-century conflict.
In an online video on Wednesday, the National Liberation Army (ELN)'s top commander, Nicolas Rodriguez, said the group is ready to lay down its arms and sit at the negotiating table with the government.
'The government has set forth its willingness to put an end to the armed conflict and to do so has convened the insurgency [to talks],' Rodriguez, alias 'Gabino,' said, reading a statement.
'We attend this dialogue to examine the true will of the government and the Colombian state; if we conclude that arms are not necessary, we are prepared to consider whether to stop using them,' he added.
On Monday, President Juan Manuel Santos invited the ELN to join the government in formal peace talks to end the conflict that has killed more than 200,000 people and displaced 5.3 million more.
This comes as the Colombian government and the country's larger guerrilla group, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), started peace talks in 2012.
The ELN, founded 50 years ago, has about 2,000 members, compared to some 8,000 for the FARC, Latin America's oldest rebel group which has been fighting the Colombian government since 1964.
AR/NN
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