Chilean President to
Help Form Leaders Group
for Release of Colombian
Rebel Hostages
Chilean President
Michelle Bachelet agreed
Monday to help form a
group of leaders to seek
the release of hostages
held by Colombian
rebels, the country's
foreign minister said.
Bachelet, who had been
here to attend the
swearing-in ceremony of
new Argentine President
Cristina Fernandez, made
the decision in response
to a letter from her
French counterpart
Nicolas Sarkozy, said
Alejandro Foxley, adding
that Bachelet
"immediately expressed
her willingness to do
so."
Sarkozy wrote to
Bachelet as part of his
efforts to release
French-Colombian hostage
Ingrid Betancourt held
by the Revolutionary
Armed Forces of Colombia
(FARC). Betancourt, born
in Colombia to French
parents, was kidnapped
in 2002 while
campaigning for the
country's presidency.
The only goal of the
group of leaders is to
"seek the immediate
release of the hostages
without conditions as
soon as possible," said
Foxley.
Separately, Bachelet
told the media that
"kidnapping is one of
the most cruel forms of
torture, which is why
Chile is answering this
call to free the
kidnapped men and
women."
"We are upset, just as
the world's conscience
is upset, to see videos
of Betancourt in such
dramatic circumstances
and having deteriorated
so much physically.
Freeing them is vitally
important and her
freedom is very urgent,"
Bachelet added.
Bachelet made the
remarks while heading to
a meeting with her
Colombian counterpart
Alvaro Uribe here.
It was also unknown
whether Venezuelan
President Hugo Chavez
will be invited to join
the group, as he was
barred by Colombia from
recent hostage mediation
with FARC after
breaching the terms of
the negotiations.
Last month, videos
showing that the
hostages were still
alive were captured
during a government
military operation
leading to the arrest of
three suspected FARC
members.
The videos, photos and
letters of the hostages
showed that some of
them, including
Betancourt, three U.S.
citizens, a politician
and many soldiers, were
in poor health.
|
|
