The Colombian government and National Liberation Army (ELN) rebels on Monday "successfully" completed a first round of peace talks in Caracas by agreeing to free prisoners, but without signing a cease fire, according to a joint statement.
Since assuming office in August, Colombia's leftist President Gustavo Petro has vowed to negotiate with armed groups in a marked shift from the more bellicose approach to ending decades of violence adopted by his conservative predecessor Ivan Duque.
Talks resumed in Venezuela last month for the first time since 2019 -- when Duque broke off all negotiations with the ELN, Colombia's last recognized rebel group -- following a car bomb attack on a police academy in Bogota that left 22 people dead.
Colombia's government and the ELN released a statement saying "the first cycle of peace talks ended successfully" and would resume at a later date in Mexico.
The statement described the peace process as "a beacon of hope in a world mired in... war and destructive tension."
While no ceasefire was agreed, the two sides vowed to "implement a partial agreement for emergency care" to begin in January in several areas worst hit by violence.
They also agreed to provide "urgent humanitarian care" to a group of ELN "political prisoners."
There was a recognition that the ELN has freed "20 people including civilians and members of the armed forces" since August 7 in a show of its "commitment to peace in Colombia."
However the question of a ceasefire "was not addressed," said Pablo Beltran, the ELN's delegation head.
On Saturday, Petro had announced an initial agreement with the ELN to allow displaced Indigenous people in the country's west to safely return to their homes.
Founded in 1964 by trade unionists and students inspired by Marxist revolutionary icon Ernesto "Che" Guevara and the Cuban revolution, the ELN has taken part in failed negotiations with Colombia's last five presidents.
However, Petro is a former urban guerrilla himself and is the country's first ever left-wing president.
He has vowed to negotiate with armed groups, including left-wing rebels and drug traffickers, in a bid to achieve "total peace" in the country following six decades of armed conflict.
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© Agence France-Presse
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