The decision of FARC guerrilla leader Mr Manuel Marulanda to accept President Andres Pas trana's proposal for a face-to-face meeting tomorrow has revived Colombian hopes that war may yet be averted.
The two men will meet in the jungle village of Los Pozos, deep inside the demilitarised zone (DMZ) controlled by the FARC. The outcome of their encounter could have a major impact on the peace process.
If it fails to relaunch the process, FARC control of the DMZ will expire on Friday. The Colombian army, followed by the right-wing "Paramilitaries", will attempt to retake the territory, raising fears of a bloodbath.
Two questions dominate the talks: will the FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia), who "froze" the talks last November, return to the peace table without further delay?; and can the two leaders move the peace process forward to substantive negotiations?
Mr Pastrana and Mr Marulanda have very different priorities. The Marxist guerrilla leader, who has some 20,000 fighters in the field, wants the government to present a verifiable strategy for stopping the peasant massacres carried out by the Paramilitaries, who have links to the Colombian army.
He also wants Mr Pastrana to abandon Plan Colombia, the $1.3 billion US-sponsored scheme to escalate the drug war. In particular, he wants an end to drug-crop fumigation. He will also demand the extension of the DMZ, where his guerrillas enjoy a safe haven, until Pastrana's term as president expires in 2002.
For the government, the paramount issue is guerrilla violence, which has delegitimised the peace process, strengthened the far right, and infuriated the Colombian army. Two weeks ago, in preparation for an invasion of the DMZ upon expiration of its legal term, army commanders moved tanks, helicopters and thousands of troops to its border without consulting civilian authorities.
To recoup legitimacy for his peace efforts, Mr Pastrana needs negotiations leading to an eventual ceasefire, an end to guerrilla kidnapping and extortion, and the elimination from the FARC's arsenal of home-made missiles used to devastating effect in attacks on rural towns and villages.
Last Saturday, Mr Pastrana made an unannounced visit to the zone. He talked to local residents and authorities in three towns. He will meet Mr Marulanda fortified by their support for his initiative.
Mr Marulanda, too, needs this meeting to succeed. The DMZ is an irreplaceable asset for the FARC. They are also counting on a humanitarian accord to exchange sick soldiers and police hostages for imprisoned guerrilla commanders, whose experience is badly lacking.
Like most crises, this one has its positive side. For the first time, the FARC has admitted the need for some form of international mediation to support and protect the negotiations.
The most hopeful scenario foresees tomorrow's meeting as the catalyst for a new dynamic, capable of driving the peace process forward. At a minimum, Mr Pastrana and Mr Marulanda must establish agreement on some mechanism to keep the talks from breaking down again.
This is where the international community could have a crucial role. In Strasbourg last week, the European Parliament voted by 474 to 1 to reject Plan Colombia. In so doing, Europe emerged as the international player with greatest credibility for the FARC and the most likely candidate to be involved in any future negotiations.
AFP adds: Reported fighting in Colombia has driven about 400 people into neighbouring Venezeula, but Caracas has so far denied their presence, the UN refugee agency said yesterday.
Local authorities in Venezuela's western state of Zulia have asked the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to help, a UN spokesman told a news briefing.
The refugees, who have been arriving from Colombia's north-eastern Norte del Santader department over the last two weeks, are being looked after by a local Catholic parish. But when the UNHCR asked the Venezuelan government for access to the group, the government denied the presence of the refugees.