Colombia’s second largest rebel group the ELN is willing to look into peaceful alternatives to its military fight against the Colombian state, ELN leader “Antonio Garcia,” said on the rebels’ website.
According to the guerrilla boss, “it is time to come up with a political solution for Colombia together with the countries of Latin America, with their guidance and involvement in the new democratic model that is constructed.”
“Peace is viable if it is sustained by the real possibility of moving towards a more democratic society that allows structural social changes in order to make Colombia a more just and sovereign country,” Garcia said.
The rebel leader said that peace talks would only work if social issues are addressed.
However, the ELN refuses to talk to the current administration of President Alvaro Uribe.
The ELN, together with the FARC, has been fighting the Colombian state since 1964 and are both considered terrorist organizations by the United States and Europe.
The two rebel groups made a joint announcement in December that they would unite, which was widely interpreted as a sign of their growing weakness.