Colombia: Peace talks with ELN rebel group begin

Rebels from Colombia's ELN left-wing group and
 government negotiators have begun talks seeking to 
end more than five decades of conflict.

The negotiations were launched at a ceremony in the
 capital of Ecuador, Quito, where the talks will be held.

Delegates stood side by side as the Colombian national anthem was played.

The talks follow the success of four years of negotiations
 with Colombia's largest rebel group, the Farc, which signed
 a peace accord in December.

The chief ELN negotiator, Pablo Beltran, urged both sides
 to rally around the points that united them and leave 
aside their differences.

The top government representative, Juan Camilo 
Restrepo, said he expected to draw from the lessons
 of the negotiations with the Farc to reach a peace accord
 with the ELN.

They both agreed that this is a once in a generation opportunity for Colombia to achieve peace.


'The end of kidnappings'

"Colombia and the world realise that it's very unlikely that
 this opportunity for peace will come before us again,"
 said Mr Restrepo.

He called on the rebels to officially suspend its
 kidnapping policy during the negotiations.

The ELN relies on the ransom obtained from the 
kidnappings or "retentions" to finance their activities.

Mr Beltran said peace would not be achieved through 
more repression.

"We need a political solution. We are willing to take responsibility for the mistakes we have made, but we 
expect the other side to do the same," he said.

"This generation may not have another opportunity to
 achieve peace," said Ecuadorean Foreign Minister 
Guillaume Long.

Ecuador is hosting the negotiations. Brazil, Chile, Cuba, Norway and Venezuela are acting as guarantors.


Cuban Revolution

The ELN, or National Liberation Army, is Colombia's
 second largest rebel group.

On Monday, it released a soldier it had been holding
 hostage for two weeks.

The soldier, Freddy Moreno, was handed over to 
delegates from the International Committee of the Red 
Cross in Arauca province.

The talks were due to begin at the end of October. But
 they were delayed as the government refused to sit down 
for formal negotiations while the rebels still held Odin Sanchez, a former congressman.

Mr Sanchez was released last Thursday, after 10 months
 in captivity.

The ELN was founded in 1964 with the stated aim of
 fighting Colombia's unequal distribution of land and
 riches, inspired by the Cuban revolution of 1959.

The government reached a peace agreement with 
Colombia's largest rebel group, the Farc, in December,
 after four years of negotiations in the Cuban capital, 
Havana.

Members of the Farc have been gathering in "transition zones", where they are to demobilise and lay down their weapons under the supervision of United Nations
 monitors.

The last of the Farc rebels are expected to reach the designated demobilisation areas by Wednesday, 
government officials said.