Politics: Latin America: Colombia's Prez, Uribe, initiates peace talks with ELN guerilla group, amnesty offered to 38 FARCs

At the same time he is trying to disarm and demobilize 20,000 rightwing "counterterrorists" some of whom have operated to "protect landowners and drug kingpins," Colombia's President Alvaro Uribe has opened talks aiming for peace with the leftwing militant group ELN whose members he had labelled "terrorists" in the past. More surprising yet, Uribe has offered pardons to ordinaries and amnesties to leaders of the even more violent farleft FARC. What precise conditions obtain in both cases is not yet clear to this refWrite commentator.

Uribe has yet to publicly invite the FARC to the negotiating table in Colombia. But under pressure from the hundreds of families of kidnapped citizens, he has been gradually softening his attitude towards a so-called humanitarian accord that would swap jailed guerrillas for about 60 high-profile political prisoners, including three Americans. And he no longer demands a cease-fire or that the talks take place outside of Colombia.

The president's sudden willingness to negotiate with both left-wing groups may have more to do with outside pressure than a major shift in Uribe's beliefs. He has been the object of intense international criticism concerning negotiations with the paramilitaries.

A so-called "Justice and Peace" law passed in June has been called a sham by human-rights groups because it pardons large groups of the fighters and may protect top commanders [among the "counterterrorists"], often accused of being drug dealers, from extradition to the United States.

The Christian Science Monitor's Rachel van Dongen reports that an electoral campaign in 2006 frames developments now, and that Uribe maintains a phenomenal 3-year 70% popularity level since he entered office. - Politicarp