BOGOTA, Oct. 28 (Xinhuanet) -- Colombian President Alvaro Uribe on Thursday rejected a proposal by the right-wing United Self-DefenseForces of Colombia (AUC) to integrate its demobilized paramilitaries into the armed forces.

    Uribe said the fact that illegal armed groups in Colombia have been involved in drug-trafficking makes it impossible for them to enter the army or police.

    The AUC initiative was formally put forth Wednesday through a communique of its top leaders Salvatore Mancuso and Ernesto Baez.

    The AUC is in talks with the government for the demobilization of 4,000 paramilitaries out of a total of 20,000 as of November.

    The AUC, one of Colombia's largest right-wing paramilitaries, was established in the 1980s by drug traffickers and land owners to fight leftist guerrillas in areas where government troops had little control. It has been active in northern Colombia, particularly in the areas of Antioquia and Cordoba.

    The AUC demobilization process will help ease the four-decade-long civil war in Colombia, which kills about 3,500 people a year.Enditem