Colombian President Alvaro Uribe has pledged not to extradite the country's top right-wing paramilitary leader to the United States to face drug trafficking charges.
A US federal court in Washington is seeking Salvatore Mancuso, the commander of the outlawed United Self-Defense Forces, or AUC, on drug-related charges.
But Mancuso is overseeing the demobilisation of hundreds of paramilitary fighters under a peace process with the government and has made clear he will not disband the AUC if he faces prison in the United States.
It is the first time Mr Uribe has not authorised the extradition of a suspect wanted by the United States even though he had authority from Colombia's Supreme Court.
Mr Uribe has used the threat of extradition to pressure AUC leaders to end their two-decade war against Marxist rebels and stop trafficking drugs to fund their operations.
But Mr Uribe warned Mancuso that failure to fully comply would lead to automatic extradition, his office said.
Last week, Mancuso wept and apologised for AUC crimes as 1,400 fighters surrendered their weapons in the largest demobilisation of an outlawed armed faction in the country's history.
So far, nearly 3,000 fighters have demobilised under the peace process and an another 500 are expected to turn in their arms at a ceremony in southeast Colombia this weekend.
Colombia's conflict kills more than 3,000 people every year.
AP