Colombia begins FARC rebel release
The Colombian government began to release jailed rebel fighters of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) on Friday in a sign of readiness for a hostage swap.

The National Penitentiary Institute's director general, Eduardo Morales, said that in a first step of the process jailed FARC members were transferred from 50 prisons nationwide to the Chiquinquira penitentiary in the western province of Boyaca.

"The first group of 200 FARC members left Bogota's National Modelo prison at 5:00 a.m. for Chiquinquira," said the official.

"We are operating two phases simultaneously, transferring the prisoners and identifying their judicial files," he added.

The jailed FARC rebels will have access to mobile telephones and will be able to walk around freely at the Chiquinquira penitentiary.

Morales said "their stay in Chiquinquira will be temporary, of about one or two weeks."

Last Friday Colombian President Alvaro Uribe said "by June 7 I will have freed some or all of the FARC. If it is not possible, I will transfer them to another place instead of a prison."

The president said the prisoners to be released should work for peace and not go back to their old ways.

The FARC is Colombia's largest anti-government guerrilla movement and has been fighting the government since the mid-1960s while still holding many political, military and foreign hostages in the hope that they can be exchanged for imprisoned guerrillas. Among the hostages are a former presidential candidate, French-Colombian Ingrid Beta court, and three Americans.

Uribe has ordered troops to combat the rebels, notably the FARC. Nevertheless, the president says he is open to talks on exchanging kidnap victims for jailed rebels.