Colombian gov't, ELN mull extending bilateral ceasefire

QUITO, March 22 (Xinhua) -- The Colombian government and the rebel group the National Liberation Army (ELN) have agreed to assess the possibility of extending a bilateral ceasefire that expired in January, the two sides said on Thursday in a joint statement.

The statement was issued in Quito, Ecuador, where delegations of both sides have been holding peace talks since February 2017 to end a five- decade fighting.

The negotiators have agreed that "starting Monday, April 2, we will begin to assess the situation of the temporary, nationwide bilateral ceasefire that ended on Jan. 9," Juan Meriguet, a representative of the Ecuadorian Foreign Ministry said.

The head of the Colombian government delegation, Gustavo Bell, said he was optimistic the two sides would be able to reach an agreement to extend the ceasefire.

"We have reasonable hopes that we can make rapid progress in forging a new agreement," Bell told reporters, adding that the ceasefire is very important for making progress in developing the peace agenda.

Fighting broke out again once the ceasefire expired, leading to the suspension of talks, but both the Colombian government and the ELN expressed their willingness to return to the negotiating table. Enditem