(VOVworld) – The Chief negotiator of Colombia’s National Liberation Army (ELN) has stated that the organization desires to end armed conflicts with the Colombian government and promises to stop all hostage-taking activities.

Chief negotiator of ELN Pablo Beltrán in a press conference with Chief negotiator of the Colombian government Mauricio Rodriguez  (Source: THX/VNA)

Speaking to El Espectador Daily on Wednesday, Mr. Pablo Beltrán emphasized that ELN wishes to talk with President Juan Manuel Santos’s government about ending the war, and pledged to release 2 hostages, including former senator Odin Sanchez, after the two sides sat at negotiation table. Beltrán criticized the government’s impatient and arrogant decision to cancel the kick-off ceremony for peace talks on October 27^th in the Ecuadorian capital of Quito. The Colombian government blamed its decision on ELN’s failure to free former senator Sanchez, who has been imprisoned for the past 6 months.