(3 Jul 2019) Left-wing Colombian guerrillas insisted on resuming talks with the Colombian government Wednesday, and reiterated their call for a bilateral cease-fire as a confidence-building measure.
Colombian President Ivan Duque has said the 2,000-strong National Liberation Army (ELN) must free all hostages it has been holding and stop alleged criminal activities as conditions for resuming dialogue.
But ELN commander Aurelio Carbonel, addressing a news conference in the Cuban capital Havana, said a ceasefire would give an immediate boost to the peace process.
The guerrillas say they are not engaged in crime and accuse the Colombian Government of using the allegation as a pretext for rejecting dialogue.
The ELN leadership also say they are in Cuba as guests, and deny they are engaged in terrorism.
"Cuba is not harboring terrorists, it's providing hospitality to a delegation sent to negotiate peace, in spite of a government that is trying to ignore us," said another top ELN commander, Pablo Beltran.
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