By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

          BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) -- Colombian guerrillas turned a household
          item into a weapon that has flattened small towns and killed hundreds of
          civilians. But following a peace summit, rebels say they may curtail the
          use of crude missiles made from propane gas tanks.

          The senior military commander of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of
          Colombia, or FARC, acknowledged in a weekend interview that the
          missiles -- made of hollowed-out propane gas tanks -- have killed
          innocents, destroyed homes and alienated potential supporters.

          ``We have committed errors due to the rudimentary nature of our
          armaments,'' Jorge Briceno told Spain's TVE television. ``Nobody can
          understand why we destroy their homes or eliminate (people) using these
          gas cylinders.''

          As a ``unilateral'' concession, Briceno said the rebels are studying ways
          to stop using the homemade mortars in civilian areas.

          The announcement followed a summit last week between President
          Andres Pastrana and FARC leader Manuel Marulanda that revived
          stalled peace talks, but failed to yield a cease-fire or other accords that
          would shield civilians from the South American country's 37-year armed
          conflict.

          Should the FARC comply with its pledge, it would be the first
          humanitarian concession by the group in more than two years of
          negotiations.

          The first beneficiaries would be poor Colombians living in the small towns
          typically targeted in guerrilla attacks. The rebels aim their mortars at
          police stations, but often destroy surrounding neighborhoods.

          Guerrilla mortar attacks were responsible last year for killing 84 civilians,
          including 12 children, and destroying or damaging 55 police stations, 10
          churches and more than a thousand homes, the army said.

          The government ordered propane tank manufacturers to change the
          weight and diameter of the iron tanks in January, to make it harder to
          convert them into weapons. But the rebels have large stockpiles.

          Guerrillas, and criminals selling to them, have stolen about 32,000
          propane gas tanks since 1998, according to official statistics. There is a
          huge demand for propane in the countryside, where electricity is limited.
          Propane is commonly used for cooking or heating water.

          The 16,000-strong FARC is said to be rolling in cash from kidnapping
          ransom payments and drug profits. Compared to the brand-new assault
          rifles its fighters carry, the gas tanks are an inexpensive, low-tech
          weapon.

          The army says the FARC developed its version by copying similar
          weapons used by other armed groups, including the Irish Republican
          Army and the Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front in El Salvador.

          They are constructed by cutting off the top half of a 100-pound propane
          tank, packing it with explosives and pointing it at an angle like a cannon.
          A smaller gas canister -- usually 20 or 40 pounds -- is packed with
          shrapnel and explosives, placed inside the larger tank, and fired.

          The missiles can travel more than half a mile and kill anyone within about
          100 feet of where they land. Though inaccurate, they are destructive and
          terrifying.

          ``The use of gas cylinders with explosives has produced excellent results
          in terrorist actions, given their destructive power and capacity to
          demoralize the troops,'' a Colombian army report acknowledged.

          The FARC first used the gas canisters in 1997, as they began a string
          series of deadly attacks on military and police garrisons, which helped
          force the government into negotiations.

          Another guerrilla faction, the National Liberation Army, has also used the
          weapons. Authorities recently uncovered a warehouse that allegedly
          produced cylinder mortars for a right-wing paramilitary group.