Monday 29 December
2008, San José, Costa
Rica
Latin America
Condemns Israeli Air
Attacks on Gaza
Nicaragua Turns To
Wind Power, Builds 19 Windmills
Red Cross
Mediating FARC Hostage Release
Drug Trade Destroying
Peruvian Forests
Chavez: Crisis Has
Spared Venezuela
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Red Cross Mediating
FARC Hostage Release
Bogota - The
International Committee
of the Red Cross (ICRC)
said Sunday it has held
talks with the Colombian
government and
guerrillas of the
Revolutionary Armed
Forces of Colombia (FARC)
on the release of six
people in FARC
captivity.
"As the ICRC can reach
the sites most affected
by the conflict, it
requires full respect to
the emblem of the Red
Cross by all the
involved parties," Red
Cross of Colombia
spokesman Yves Heller
said.
ICRC's mediation in the
release of the FARC
hostages came after
Colombian President
Alvaro Uribe rejected
the involvement of any
foreign government in
negotiating their
release.
Earlier this year,
Venezuelan President
Hugo Chavez helped
negotiate the release of
some FARC hostages. But
Bogota later became
uneasy with what
officials saw as
Chavez's open sympathy
for the leftist rebel
group.
FARC has offered to
release the six hostages
including former state
governor Alan Jara,
former local lawmaker
Sigifredo Lopez, and
three policemen and a
soldier, but want to
hand them to opposition
Colombian Senator Piedad
Cordoba, a Chavez ally.
Cordoba said Sunday that
she was seeking renewed
contact with FARC to set
the date and place for
the release of the
hostages.
FARC is Colombia's
largest guerilla group
and holds about 28
high-profile hostages,
"exchangeable" for
rebels in prisons. An
estimated 700 people are
currently being held by
the group. |
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