Senior peacemaker killed in Colombia

Troops and rebels have been fighting a long war

A senior Colombian congressman involved in peace talks with left-wing rebels has been shot dead in the capital, Bogota.

Jairo Rojas, vice president of a congressional peace committee, was gunned down by two attackers in front of his home around midnight local time (0500 GMT).

He was a good man who had been working in the peace process

Guillermo Gaviria, President of the House of Representatives

Mr Rojas was the second member of the House of Representatives peace committee to be killed in the past nine months.

Investigators say they have not yet established a motive for the killing.

"We don't know if the lawmaker had received death threats or if what has happened has anything to do with his work in the peace commission of the lower house," an unnamed police source told French news agency AFP.

Followed home

The congressman left a party at a hotel on Wednesday night without his usual escort and was followed home by his attackers in another vehicle, police say.

Mr Rojas knew he was being trailed and crashed his car through the gates of his parking lot but was shot as he got out of his car, say investigators.

President Andres Pastrana called off peace talks with the National Liberation Army

Colleagues paid tribute to Mr Rojas' work in trying to bring an end to the country's 37-year guerrilla war.

"He was a good man who had been working in the peace process," said Guillermo Gaviria, President of the House of Representatives.

Leftist militants belonging to the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) group were blamed for the killing in December of committee president Diego Turbay.

FARC never acknowledged involvement in Mr Turbay's murder.

Peace talks between the Government and Colombia's largest rebel faction, the left-wing National Liberation Army (ELN) were called off earlier this month after the government objected to new demands raised by the guerrillas.