Bogota, Colombia ? President Alvaro Uribe said Wednesday he was willing to exchange captured rebels for guerrilla hostages, marking an about-face in policy after the kidnapping of one of Latin America’s leading Roman Catholic bishops.

Uribe said the government was “completely willing” to consider an exchange if the deal was negotiated by the United Nations. Previously, Uribe – a hard-liner who took office in August – refused to consider the possibility of a trade with the insurgents.

The Senate president, Luis Alfredo Ramos, said a cessation of hostilities would not be a prerequisite. In the past, Uribe has said he would demand a cease-fire before beginning any talks.

The policy turnaround became public two days after suspected rebels kidnapped Bishop Jorge Enrique Jimenez and the Rev. Desiderio Orjuela on a road north of Bogota. Jimenez is the president of the Latin American bishops conference, which determines Roman Catholic Church policy in the 22 nations of Latin America, home to nearly half the world’s Catholics.

The military has blamed the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, for the clerics’ abductions. The violent leftist group holds dozens of kidnapped politicians, including former presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt and a state governor, as well as soldiers, police and ordinary civilians. More than 3,000 people were taken hostage in Colombia last year alone.

Colombians march through the streets to demand the release of kidnapped Bishop Jorge Enrique Jimenez in Zipaquira, a few miles north of the capital, Bogota. President Alvaro Uribe said Wednesday the government might free jailed guerrillas in exchange for kidnapped hostages.

Americans also have been kidnapped by FARC. The U.S. State Department considers FARC to be terrorists, and United States unsealed federal indictments Wednesday against FARC rebel leaders charging them with kidnapping Americans and trafficking in drugs.

The rebels have been pressing the Colombian government for an exchange of the politicians for guerrillas being held in Colombian jails. But opponents of an exchange say it would encourage the rebels to carry out more kidnappings and reward their illegal acts.

Colombia has the world’s highest kidnapping rate.