Hopes are high of an end to more than three decades of civil war in Colombia. Today the President, Mr Andris Pastrana, will meet the leaders of the country's (and South America's) oldest guerrilla movement, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC. While successive Colombian governments have negotiated with the different guerrilla groups, this is the first time an acting president will sit down with them to discuss a possible peace process on their terms - and on their territory.
The initial talks will take place in the withdrawal zone established by the government and the FARC in July of last year, when Mr Pastrana, weeks before taking office as President, went to meet the leader of the FARC, Mr Manuel Marulanda, known as Tirofijo (Sureshot), in the mountains of Colombia.
The FARC said it would not negotiate unless it was given complete control of three departments of the country.
The government withdrew all state forces and thus paved the way for this first round of talks.
The departments that make up this zone are the principal coca growing regions of the country, and for years the FARC has dominated the drug business in Colombia.
Although expectations are high, government sources are not optimistic about striking a deal in the coming weeks. The process is likely to be a lengthy one. Neighbouring Costa Rica has offered to host future rounds of talks. The FARC rebels have a sophisticated international network which includes bases in Costa Rica and Mexico and even a website. The guerrillas and the government are interested in recent peace deals that have been signed around the world, particularly in Guatemala two years ago and also in Northern Ireland. The latter attracted plenty of attention in the Colombian press, and officials and academics here are interested to see how a similar model could be set out for Colombia - Latin America's second-oldest democracy, and the world's most violent country.
Reuters adds:
President Pastrana said yesterday he trusts Mr Marulanda and believes he can work with him to end the conflict.
"I'm optimistic," Mr Pastrana said in an interview. "I'm not pessimistic about this process, and it's for that reason that I believe we're going to make peace."
Mr Pastrana acknowledged that he would be taking a risk when he goes to the rebel stronghold in south-east Colombia. But he said he felt safe.
"I trust in the word of Marulanda, I believe in Marulanda's words" that he wants peace, Mr Pastrana said from his presidential palace.
On the eve of the peace talks right-wing Colombian paramilitaries announced yesterday they would renew and bolster their fight against the guerrillas. The announcement was seen as a possible threat to the peace talks.
In a statement, Mr Ramon Isaza, a senior leader of the United Self-Defence Units (AUC), said the paramilitaries had ended their self-imposed Christmas truce which took effect on December 20th.