Colombia's president
offers to negotiate with
FARC
Colombian President
Alvaro Uribe said
Thursday that he is
willing to create a zone
to meet with Colombia's
Revolutionary Armed
Forces (FARC) if the
guerrillas offer to free
hostages.
Uribe made the comments
at Bogota's Plaza de
Bolivar after meeting
with the father of a
hostage who is demanding
the signing of a
humanitarian exchange
with FARC.
"If FARC frees hostages,
the government is
willing to create an
encounter zone to sign a
peace treaty in 90
days," Uribe said after
explaining that he will
release guerrilla
members that do not have
cases pending in foreign
countries.
Uribe talked for two
hours with police
hostage Pablo Moncayo's
father Gustavo, who has
established a permanent
protest on the Plaza de
Bolivar demanding that
the government and FARC
exchange hostages for
rebel prisoners.
Uribe has offered to
send Gustavo to Cuba to
meet with rebel leader
Rodrigo Granda, who is
known as FARC's foreign
minister. Granda was
released following a
petition by France.
Amid boos and jeers from
Colombian citizens
crowded on the Plaza de
Bolivar, Uribe said the
government will not
accept FARC's demands to
demilitarize certain
Colombian regions.
"I hope that when you
call me a paramilitary
you do not do it because
you want a guerilla
victory," Uribe told
thousands of protesters
supporting Moncayo's
cause.
Uribe authorized Spain,
France and Switzerland,
as well as Church and
State mediators to help
his government meet with
FARC, although Uribe
says FARC's
inflexibility over
conditions for meetings
is to blame for the lack
of progress.
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