Hundreds of paramilitaries to lay down arms in Colombia
About 400 paramilitaries from the right-wing United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC) have decided to lay down their arms within the framework of peace talks with the government, local media reported on Saturday.

Hernand Giraldo, chief of "Tayrona," a faction of the AUC, announced the intention through a video and a communique to disarm these paramilitaries who have been operating in Sierra Nevada de Santa Cruz region.

The announcement came two days after the capture of Freddy Castillo Carrillo, the "right-hand man" of Giraldo, at a rural house in Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta.

Giraldo demanded the disarmament take place in the north of Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta and the government facilitate the integration of his paramilitaries into society.

The Colombian government and the AUC started peace negotiations in December 2002. Within the framework of the peace negotiations, 4,820 paramilitaries have laid down their arms and 17,000 more will have to be disarmed by 2006.

The AUC was established in the 1980s by drug traffickers and land owners to fight leftist guerrillas in areas where government troops had little control. It has been active in northern Colombia, particularly in the areas of Antioquia and Cordoba.