Colombian rebels call for resumption of peace talks with gov't

QUITO, Jan. 30 (Xinhua) -- Colombia's National Liberation Army (ELN) guerrillas on Tuesday called for the resumption of frozen peace talks with the government, despite fallout from renewed fighting.

In a statement on Twitter, the rebels said they hoped the government would attend the latest round of talks which had been set for Wednesday in Ecuador's capital of Quito "to agree to a new and better bilateral ceasefire."

The rebels resumed their attacks against security forces and oil installations after the previous ceasefire between the two sides expired on Jan. 9, leading the government to suspend talks.

President Juan Manuel Santos on Monday declared the suspension of the peace talks after the triple bomb attacks on police stations in northern Colombia which killed seven officers and wounded dozens, saying that he will resume the talks if "I see coherence between their words and their military actions."

He ordered the security forces to act with "maximum determination" against the rebel group, but also said he was still committed to negotiating putting an end to the five decades of conflicts between the leftist rebels and security forces.

In the ELN's statement, the rebels said they were "responding to the military offensive" and attempting to lower the intensity of conflicts. Enditem