Colombia President Santos meets surrendered ELN rebels
16 July 2013 Last updated at 20:22 ET
Colombia President Santos meets surrendered ELN rebels
Colombia's President Juan Manuel Santos has met 30 rebels of the ELN, the country's second largest armed group, who laid down their arms.
Mr Santos called the development "a great step towards peace".
The ELN, or National Liberation Army, is not part of the peace talks with Colombia's largest rebel group, the Farc, but its leaders have expressed interest in joining the negotiations.
The government has insisted that the ELN must first release its hostages.
The left-wing group has around 1,500 members, officials say.
The 30-strong group surrendered their arms in the south-eastern region of Cauca.
More:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-23338862