Colombian president Alvaro Uribe indicate don Tuesday that provided the illegal rebel group known as the National Liberation Army (ELN) agreed to a cease- fire he would acknowledge that an armed conflict existed in Colombia.

The Uribe administration attempted to launch a peace process with ELN but all efforts failed given the differences existing between the two sides.

Heretofore President Uribe had refused to acknowledge the existence of an armed conflict and continued to call the rebels "terrorists", which ELN described as an "obvious contradiction" in terms of all efforts aimed at a political solution.

ELN had indicated that if Uribe recognised the existence of an internal conflict, they (ELN) would be able to agree to proceed to peace negotiations with the government.

During a conference in Bogotá, Uribe stated, "If ELN accepts a cease-fire, which is the first step towards a lasting peace, I will accept what they want".

ELN with 4,500 members is the second most important rebel group in the country after FARC.

One wonders if maintaining that there is not an armed conflict, while also proposing a cease-fire- and admitting that this conflict exists if a cease-fire is established, is proof of some brilliant logic?