Colombia rebels 'consider pact'

By Jeremy McDermott
BBC News correspondent in Medellin

The government has taken a tough stance against the rebels

Colombia's second largest rebel group has asked the largest guerrilla army, the Farc, to form a political alliance against President Alvaro Uribe.

A message published by the National Liberation Army, or ELN, speaks of creating a united political front.

Mr Uribe has made defeating the warring factions the cornerstone of his administration.

His government has said the threat is not great as the two groups are so different in their outlooks.

Joint operations

The two groups announced an alliance last year.

The weaker ELN, with just over 3,000 fighters, had found itself being squeezed not just by the security forces and right-wing paramilitaries, but by the Farc (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) as well.

In many areas of the country, the ELN has since slipped under the military umbrella of the 20,000-strong Farc.

Units from both groups have been conducting joint operations.

However, so far, the two groups have not united their political efforts.

The danger of the two rebel forces truly uniting is far greater than them carrying on their 40-year struggle independently.

The ELN have always placed more emphasis on the political fight, developing civilian support bases.

The Farc, flush with money from the drugs trade, has concentrated on building a military force.

Should the two merge, they would complement each other and present more of a challenge to the embattled security forces.

Vice-President Francisco Santos said he was not worried about the latest announcement.

He believes the two groups are so different that the chances of them truly uniting are remote.