President Alvaro Uribe has reauthorized three European peace facilitators to reach out to leftist rebels in the hope of reviving a planned swap of hostages for imprisoned rebels, authorities said.

Uribe angrily broke off contacts with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, on Oct. 20, after blaming the leftist rebels for a car bombing a day earlier at a military university in Bogota that injured 23 people.

Calling the FARC "scoundrels," he also said the three European peace facilitators — France, Spain and Switzerland — should provide military instead of diplomatic assistance to guarantee the release of 60 political prisoners being held by the rebels.

"The only option left is a military rescue," said Uribe at the time in a fiery speech at the Nueva Granada military school, a bounded copy of which he personally handed out days later in an interview with foreign journalists.

The law and order president, perhaps bending to the anger his comments sparked among many of the family members of those being held, now seems to have softened his hard line.

"I have instructions from President Uribe to advance in a discrete manner and evaluate the possibility of making important progress without major public announcements," said Restrepo.

In the weeks before the blast, it seemed a deal was imminent for the government to free some 500 jailed rebels in exchange for 60 political prisoners held by the FARC — including three U.S. defense contractors who were kidnapped in February 2003 and former presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt, who has French citizenship and has become a cause celebre in France.

Uribe, better known for his hardline security policies, had even agreed to set aside two towns in southern Colombia for eventual talks.

Family members of those being held by the FARC downplayed the significance of the government's reversal, saying there was still a long way to go before they were reunited with loved ones.

"It's a good first step, but we need concrete actions that demonstrate the government is willing to sit down and negotiate," said Marleny Orjuela, president of an association grouping family members of FARC-held prisoners.

Yolanda Pulecio, Betancourt's mother, said she was unconvinced Uribe "really wants a humanitarian exchange."

She said the president's decision might be a "smoke screen" designed to divert public attention away from a damaging scandal affecting the government over alleged links between Uribe's close allies — including the former head of his intelligence agency — and right-wing paramilitary groups.