Brazil Willing To Join
Group To Negotiate
Release Of FARC Hostages
Brazil is on call if the
Colombian government
decides to form an
international group to
negotiate the release of
hostages held by the
Revolutionary Armed
Forces of Colombia (FARC),
Brazil's presidential
spokesman Marcelo
Baumbach said Wednesday.
Baumbach told a press
conference that
"Brazilian President
LuizInacio Lula da Silva
is available in case the
Colombian government
decides to form an
international group to
negotiate the release of
the hostages."
But Brazil would not
join any military
action, he emphasized,
while adding that Lula's
special assistant Marco
Antonio Garcia had taken
part in past
negotiations with FARC,
with the approval of the
Colombian government.
Lula will begin a visit
to Colombia on Friday.
He is scheduled to have
a private meeting
Saturday with President
Alvaro Uribe to discuss
the hostage issue and
participate as Uribe's
guest in Colombia's
Independence Day
celebrations Sunday.
On July 2, the Colombian
army conducted a
dramatic bloodless
rescue of 15 hostages
including
French-Colombian
politician Ingrid
Betancourt, by tricking
FARC into handing them
over.
|
