CARACAS, Nov 1, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - Delegations from the Colombian government and the left-wing ELN guerilla group will gather from Friday in neighboring Venezuela for a meeting that seeks to restart peace negotiations and resume a ceasefire.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro suspended the peace talks in September after an attack by the National Liberation Army (ELN) -- the country's biggest active armed group -- on a military base left three soldiers dead and 28 wounded.

In a statement released this week by Colombia's presidency, chief negotiator Vera Grabe said the meeting will raise issues like "reactivating the ceasefire with the monitoring and verification mechanism".

"It is possible that not all the issues will be resolved, but they will be put forward for new meetings," he added.

The meeting's agenda was not made public, and Grabe declined to comment on the plans.

The ELN had proposed "to examine the crisis in which the process finds itself," while denouncing violations on what was agreed on with the government.

"As long as the government does not overcome the current situation of non-compliance with agreements, we will not be able to get out of the freeze," the armed group said.

The government delegation accepted a meeting that would lead to "resuming our dialogue."

"We want to address how far the ELN wants to advance with this government," Grabe said.
The last meeting between the parties, held also in Caracas, was in May.

The ELN has intensified attacks on military targets since August, when it decided not to renew a ceasefire that had been in force with the army since 2023.

The military also resumed operations against the rebels.
Petro, Colombia's first left-wing president, is trying to defuse the six-decade-old armed conflict by talking to various guerrilla groups and criminal gangs.

He faces criticism from the opposition, which denounces a deterioration in public security. Dialogue with the ELN has taken place in Mexico, Cuba and Venezuela.