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But final approval of the extradition may not be granted because it could upset government-paramilitary peace talks.
The decision on Wednesday to extradite Salvatore Mancuso came weeks after President Alvaro Uribe lifted arrest orders on him and other leaders of the 20,000-strong United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia, or AUC, to allow them to start disbanding the force as called for in peace negotiations.
"I do not think Uribe will sign Mancuso's extradition order because that would put pressure on the demobilization, and Uribe needs to protect that process," Mauricio Romero, political analyst at Bogota's Rosario University told Reuters.
In a separate ruling, the Supreme Court of Justice approved the extradition of Ricardo Ovidio Palmera Pineda, known as Simon Trinidad, on narcotics-trafficking charges. He is a leader of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, the country's largest left-wing rebel group.
The FARC is holding 72 hostages in secret jungle camps including three civilian Defense Department contractors captured while spying on drug crops in February 2003.
"Signing Trinidad's order is also problematic because if Uribe does so there is a good chance that the FARC will kill their U.S. hostages," Romero said. "That is a very big risk."
Additionally, the court approved the extradition of Carlos Castano, a paramilitary chief believed to have been killed by members of his own force but whose body has never been found.
MURDER, KIDNAPPING CHARGES
Both illegal groups control large swathes of territory in Colombia and are linked to the country's huge cocaine trade.
The AUC has its origins in vigilante groups set up by land owners to combat the FARC, which is locked in a 40-year war against the state.
The paramilitary leaders had been wanted in Colombia for crimes including murder and kidnapping before Uribe lifted the arrest orders. But Mancuso has gained almost an air of respectability because he is seen regularly on television as the AUC's chief negotiator.
Peace talks began in earnest in July and aim for the AUC's disbandment by the end of next year.
Uribe, seeking to regain control of all of Colombia, owes much of his popularity to his efforts to bolster security to spur economic growth.
The talks with the AUC are crucial to this strategy. But AUC leaders say they will not agree to government demands they serve five to 10 years in prison for their crimes.
The discussions have been marred by gun battles among paramilitaries who disagree over the planned demobilization.
Some members of the group do not want to lay down their arms and give up their links to the lucrative cocaine trade only to enter government retraining programs aimed at helping them join civil society.
By Hugh Bronstein
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