Colombia’s government has responded cautiously to a potential overture from the FARC, Latin America’s oldest and largest rebel force, on the possibility of hammering out a deal on a hostage swap.

Vice President Francisco Santos said “first and foremost one has to be cautious ... a process like this is not best handled (being negotiated) in front of microphones”.

But, “it does seem to me to be a significant change”, Santos acknowledged.

Raul Reyes, second-in-command of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia on Thursday told Telesur television that the FARC “is fully available and willing” to reach a humanitarian deal, “but that requires real political will from the government”.

Prior to Reyes’ remark, the rebels had refused dialogue with President Alvaro Uribe’s government. Reyes had repeatedly said: “with Uribe there will be no swap.”

But that was before Uribe was re-elected to a second four-year term on May 28. The president’s second term officially starts August 7.

Two days after the re-election win, government peace negotiator Luis Carlos Restrepo said a “search for progress toward peace with the FARC is being looked at”, without further explanation.

Santos on Friday reaffirmed that “we have been ready for negotiation”.

The FARC has proposed a swap of 58 kidnapping victims – including Ingrid Betancourt, a former Colombian presidential candidate who is also a French national – for 500 jailed guerrillas.

Under a plan suggested by France, Spain and Switzerland for negotiations between the government and rebels, a swap would be carried out in the country’s southwest with no presence of Colombian forces or FARC rebels.