BOGOTA – Colombia's guerrilla group, the National Liberation Army (ELN), has expressed its willingness to resume peace talks with Gustavo Petro, a former Marxist rebel who won the presidential runoff for the 2022-2026 term.

"This incoming government must address the changes necessary for a peaceful Colombia," the group said in a statement. "Among the most urgent are political and economic inclusion, a sovereign economy free of ransacking, and a new security and human rights philosophy," the group said.

"Colombia will have a government supported by the popular movement if the elected president takes office on August 7 to make the changes that will put us on the path to defeat cronyism and take the violence out of politics, advance social inclusion plans that address jobs and initiatives for the majority, an agrarian reform plan and a new model to fight drugs, and provide continuity to the peace process," the statement added.

Peace talks between the government and the ELN started in 2017 under former President Juan Manuel Santos' administration but were halted in January 2019.

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