BOGOTA, Jan. 21 (Xinhua) -- Colombia's National Liberation Army (ELN) guerrilla group said Monday it was behind the car bombing that killed at least 21 people at a police academy in the capital Bogota last week.

The attack on the General Santander Police Academy in southern Bogota, in which the driver of the car also died, took place early Thursday.

The ELN claimed that the academy was a legitimate target in the rebel group's decades-long conflict with state forces.

It also reiterated its willingness to enter into a bilateral cease-fire agreement with the Colombian government to further peace talks aimed at putting an end to more than five decades of armed conflict.

"But the government response has been negative," the group said.

However, Colombia's high commissioner for peace Miguel Ceballos said Friday that the ELN has no intention to make peace with the government of President Ivan Duque, who inherited an ongoing peace process between the government and the ELN from his predecessor Juan Manuel Santos.

Ceballos said the ELN is found responsible for over 400 criminal cases since Duque took office in August 2018, demonstrating it has no will for peace.

"For this reason, the president had not sent a spokesperson to negotiate with the ELN unless these criminal acts ... would cease," said Ceballos.

After the attack, Colombia urged Cuba, the host of peace talks that began under the previous president, to extradite several guerrilla leaders currently in Havana waiting for the renewal of the talks.

Cuban Foreign Affairs Minister Bruno Rodriguez on Monday said the Cuban government has never allowed its territory to be used for organizing terrorist acts.

"Cuba is against terrorism and war... We condemn all forms of terrorism, regardless of its motivations," said Rodriguez.

On Friday, the United Nations Security Council also condemned "in the strongest possible terms" Thursday's car bombing in Bogota. Enditem

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