Colombia’s delayed peace talks with Marxist ELN rebels at the last minute – demanding that a politician, held captive for six months, is freed. <br /><br /> President Juan Manuel Santos says the National Liberation Army has to release Odin Sanchez before talks can begin in Ecuador.<br /><br /> The discussions had been due to get underway on Thursday evening. <br /><br /> The International Red Cross is said to have begun the process of Sanchez’s release.<br /><br /> The 2,000-strong ELN is considered a terrorist group by the US and European Union. <br /><br /> It has kidnapped hundreds of people during its 52-year insurgency to raise war funds and used hostages as bargaining chips with the government. <br /><br /> Founded by radical Catholic priests and inspired by Cuba’s 1959 revolution, the ELN has been in on-and-off closed-door talks with the government since 2014 on how the two sides would conduct negotiations. <br /><br /> The rebels have remained active during that time, kidnapping and bombing oil installations, though in recent months they have released some captives. <br /><br /> Formal peace talks are likely to mirror those held with the leftist Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).<br /><br /> The peace agreement, signed on 26 September with the FARC, was internationally lauded but criticised by many in Colombia for being too lenient on the rebels.<br />
