Colombian president Alvarao Uribe, who wishes to conclude a separate peace with ELN, has freed Francisco Galan, the leader of the ELN, in order to start negotiations.

"Today the government has agreed to give negotiating status for a period of three months to M. Francisco Galan held in prison in Itagui (north-west Colombia)", stated High Commissioner for Peace, Luis Carlos Rostrepo.

"M Galan will be able to leave prison, where he is now, in order to take part in consultations with civilians and various social groups to start the peace process", added M. Rostrepo. "The government is taking a firm line to defeat terrorism and to offer openness and generosity in order to negotiate with those who cease criminality and to welcome them into the heart of Colombian society", the President declared on Wednesday evening.

By this spectacular gesture, President Uribe who has strong support in the country with 70% in favour of voting for him in the next presidential elections in May 2006, wants to show his critics and the international community that he is ready to work for peace at a time when negotiations for freeing hostages held by FARC are totally blocked.

This announcement "proves the President urgently needs to show the world that he is just as able to lead negotiations with rebels and not just to bring about the current controversial peace process with the paramilitaries" according to the academic Vicente Torrijos. On Tuesday the Colombian President Alvaro Uribe had declared publicly that he was ready to recognise that a conflict existed in Colombia if ELN rebels accepted a cease-fire.

The Catholic Church who has regularly offered to mediate in negotiations with the rebels described the presidential initiative as a " very positive gesture" and thinks that there is " a golden opportunity " to reach an agreement. It is the sixth time in thirteen years that Galan leave prison to negotiate peace with different governments. In October 1998, former president Andres Pastrana (1998-2002) gave him temporary release to take part in peace negotiations.

Since last April, ELN has taken part in discussions with the government of Alvaro Uribe. ELN, set up in 1964 inspired by the revolutionary ideas of Che Guevara, is the second largest rebel group in Colombia with 4000 fighters after FARC with its 17000-strong force.