Colombia moves to save peace deal

Alvaro Uribe, the Colombian president has tried to salvage a peace deal with right-wing paramilitaries by passing a bill that would allow former fighters to run for public office.

Meanwhile imprisoned paramilitary leaders have said they will resume confessing their crimes to special prosecutors.

Antonio Lopez, a spokesman for the AUC speaking in the western city of Medellin, said the paramilitaries will rejoin the process to demonstrate their "unflinching commitment" to the country.

Sunday's reversal comes six days after leaders of the paramilitary umbrella group known as the AUC halted testimonies in protest of a Supreme Court ruling that went against the 2003 peace pact that led 31,000 right-wing irregulars to disarm.

Sedition doubt

The change of heart will be a boost for Uribe who has described the deal with the paramilitaries as the biggest step towards ending Colombia's long war with left-wing rebels.

More than 31,000 paramilitaries have turned in thier arms over a three year period in a deal that promises them reduced jail sentences for crimes ranging from torture to massacre.

The agreement is based on the idea that former "paras" would be charged with sedition, and not criminal activity, as left-wing guerrillas have been in the past