Quito, April 1 (RHC-Xinhua) -- The dialogue between the Colombian government and the National Liberation Army (ELN) is seeing progress on topics such as the participation of Colombian society in the peace process, Pablo Beltran, the ELN's chief negotiator said Friday.

In an interview with Radio Public de Ecuador, Beltran called the first round of peace talks, which began on February 7 in Quito, Ecuador, as positive. The two sides are seeking to put a definitive end to half a century of armed conflict in Colombia.

According to the negotiator, the government's demand for the ELN to stop kidnappings "is a point of debate...to produce a first humanitarian agreement." However, he indicated that the ELN is concerned about how to "stop the political genocide against social leaders in Colombia."

Finally, Beltran guaranteed that Ecuador would continue to support the Colombian peace process, no matter who wins Sunday's presidential elections. Ecuador is a guarantor of the peace talks, along with Brazil, Chile, Cuba, Norway and Venezuela.