Colombian guerrillas ELN request the government a unilateral ceasefire

The ELN guerrillas in Colombia requested this Monday through their website a unilateral ceasefire by the state as part of preliminary talks with the government to officially establish a dialogue table

“It is urgent that the President (Juan Manuel Santos) declares a unilateral ceasefire and  cessation of hostilities, actions that the government and the state advance against the Colombian people,” wrote the National Liberation Army, in a statement published in the eln-voces.com website.

The second insurgent group in the country with about 2,500 fighters, according to official figures, made the request through a text entitled “positive anouncements for peace in Colombia,” which also highlighted the support Pope Francis gave to peace in the country .

“I encourage efforts to achieve a stable peace in Colombia,” said the religious leader. “These statements of Pope Francisco, deserve all the attention from us and stimulate the confidence to move in that titanic task of building the peace in Colombia,” added the text of the ELN.

Parallel to these preliminary talks with the guerrillas, the Colombian government anticipates peace talks with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC, communists), since November 2012 in Havana.