Relatives of people kidnapped by Colombia's rebels said they had no choice but to take over Bogota's 17th-century cathedral to try to force the government to renew talks to free their loved ones.

Relatives of Colombian soldiers and politicians held hostage by leftist rebels stand inside Bogota's main cathedral, Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2003.  [AP]

More than 25 people — including five children — walked into the cathedral Tuesday, asked everyone to leave and settled down on the church pews, said Juan Carlos Lecompte, one of the protesters and the husband of a kidnapped presidential candidate.

"We will stay as long as necessary," Lecompte told the Associated Press through a crack in the front doors.

Church officials barred access to toilets and bolted the large wooden front doors to stop other relatives from coming in, calling the sit-in an affront to the dignity of the church.

Dozens of stern-faced police moved into Bogota's main plaza outside the church, but did not immediately intervene. The government had no comment.

Lecompte is the husband of former Sen. Ingrid Betancourt, who was kidnapped in February 2002 as she campaigned in last year's presidential elections.

The families said they were fed up with hard-line President Alvaro Uribe's failure to fulfill an election pledge and seek a humanitarian accord with the guerrillas to secure the hostages' release.

Rebels from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, are holding dozens of political prisoners — including soldiers, police, politicians and three U.S. military contractors — whom they want to exchange for guerrillas held in government jails.

Given what they called Uribe's inaction, the family members said they saw no choice but to peacefully occupy the cathedral, a Bogota landmark just a block away from the president's palace.

The 17th-century cathedral dominates the capital's main plaza, fronted by Parliament and the former Palace of Justice.

As night fell, those inside the high-ceilinged, marble church huddled together for warmth. They had few blankets or food.

Outside, other family members circled the cathedral, each with a candle in hand, chanting "We want them alive and free."

"This is a powerful mechanism to ensure that our loved ones are not forgotten," said Gustavo Rincon, holding up a picture of his 25-year-old son Emilio, a soldier kidnapped six years ago during an army operation in rebel-held territory.

Those inside invited representatives from foreign countries and the United Nations to meet with them to create a commission to explore a humanitarian accord with the guerrillas.

Meanwhile, a smaller leftist rebel group, the National Liberation Army, or ELN, reneged on a promise Tuesday, saying it won't release four Israelis and a Briton it is holding hostage in a northern wilderness because of ongoing military operations.

ELN gunmen seized eight foreign backpackers from jungle ruins in the northern Sierra Nevada mountains on Sept. 12. One of the hostages, a British teenager, escaped days later. Two other hostages — a German and a Spaniard — were released to a humanitarian commission two weeks ago.

Colombia has the world's highest kidnapping rate, with some 3,000 abductions per year. Most are carried out by both of Colombia's rebel groups.

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