"I have instructed the head of the negotiating team, Gustavo Bell, to travel to Quito and reactivate the dialogue," the president said.

The ELN welcomed the decision in a statement.

Santos' announcement came in response to a unilateral ceasefire by the ELN for Sunday's legislative elections, seen as a test of the group's willingness to get back to the negotiating table.

He said the parties would discuss a new ceasefire agreement that is "broad and verifiable" that would prevent a resurgence of violence of the kind that forced the suspension of talks.

Santos had suspended the year-long negotiations in the Ecuadoran capital in late January following a series of attacks on police stations that left six people dead and dozens more wounded.

Those attacks occurred after a bilateral ceasefire had expired on January 9, during a break in the talks.

"We welcome President Santos' call to restart the talks, with the conviction that it is better to have a dialogue in the middle of a bilateral ceasefire," the rebel movement said in a statement.

During the suspension of the talks, government forces had resumed operations against the ELN, killing 10 rebels last Tuesday in the group's biggest recent battlefield loss.

The ELN has about 1,500 fighters.

Colombia's biggest guerrilla group, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), made peace with the government in 2016 and has since transformed into a political party that participated in Sunday's elections.