Colombia government, rebel group agree to launch formal peace talks
The Colombian government and the country's second largest rebel group ELN agreed to launch formal peace talks on Thursday, said a joint statement issued at the end of the fourth round of exploratory peace talks.

Luis Carlos Restrepo, the Colombian government's high commissioner for peace, and ELN commander Antonio Garcia, said in the statement they had ended the exploratory phase of discussions and agreed to the "formal establishment" of talks aimed at reaching a peace agreement.

The statement issued in Cuba's capital Havana, where the exploratory peace talks were held, said the exploratory process was worth continuing, adding that a "climate of peace" and the participation of civil society groups had favored their talks.

Both sides also thanked the international community for their contribution to the progress of their talks since they began in December last year.

The ELN, or the National Liberation Army, which began to fight the Colombian government in 1964, is reported to have shrunk to a group of some 3,500 fighters following the government's repeated military offensives.

Earlier, the rebel group indicated its willingness to reach a deal with the government, pledging to negotiate sincerely.