Colombia Re-Authorizes Senator
Cordoba to Attend Next Hostages Release
Bogota - Colombian
President Alvaro Uribe announced on Monday he will permit opposition
Senator Piedad Cordoba to join efforts to release two politicians
abducted by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).
"The president of the Republic has accepted the request of the
International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) for Senator Piedad
Cordoba to participate in the release operation of the hostages," a
communique by presidential press secretary Cesar Mauricio Velasquez
said.
Earlier, Uribe ordered that Cordoba be excluded from the
humanitarian mission after talks between the government and the
non-governmental organization Colombians for Peace, headed by
Cordoba, reached an impasse.
One of the organization's members denounced military flights over
the zone of the hostage handover, saying they may ruin the chances
of further release.
Cordoba has played a key role in the release of FARC-held hostages
since 2008, and FARC has requested her participation in future
releases as a guarantee.
In addition to allowing Cordoba to attend release operations, Uribe
said the government also compromised on military flights, saying
flights over hostage handover zone would halt for 36 hours.
Meanwhile, the president insisted that only the ICRC and Brazilcan
attend the humanitarian mission to receive former governor Alan Jara
and former legislator Sigifredo Lopez who are likely to be released
by FARC this week.
Uribe met on Monday morning with the four hostages released by FARC
on the previous day.
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