Bogota, May 12 (RHC) -- Colombia's smaller insurgency, the National Liberation Army (ELN), has met with members of the main rebel force FARC, in Cuba, with the blessing of President Juan Manuel Santos, who is hoping it will lead to a second peace process, AFP reports.

The goal of the discussions, Santos said Monday, was "to make progress in our drive to put an end to more than 50 years of armed conflict." Both the ELN and the FARC have been at war with the Colombian government since the mid-1960s.

The ELN said in June last year that it had begun exploratory discussions with the government in a bid to launch negotiations in parallel with Bogota's ongoing negotiations with the FARC.

Colombian media had reported that a meeting took place in Havana between FARC leader Timoleon Jimenez alias Timochenko, and ELN chief Nicolas Rodriguez alias Gabino.