Bogotβ - Colombia's leftist National Liberation Army (ELN) guerrillas said the chances of reaching a peace deal with President Andres Pastrana were "almost dead" after he announced he was breaking off contact with the rebels.
Mr Pastrana, who is struggling to end a 37-year-old insurgent war that has claimed 40,000 civilian lives in the past decade, said on Tuesday he was breaking off contact with the 5,000-member ELN because the rebels were not interested in peace.
The rebels, who claim to represent the interests of the poor and working classes, routinely attack the South American nation's key energy infrastructure and kidnap civilians for ransom.