Colombia to See FARC
Releases Soon
Bogota - Colombian
Liberal Senator Piedad
Cordoba said on
Wednesday in this
capital that she hoped
that six hostages would
be freed soon, as the
Revolutionary Armed
Forces of Colombia (FARC)
announced in December.
In an interview with El
Espectador daily,
Cordoba said the
government announcement
that it authorized a
representative of the
Vatican as mediator in
the unilateral release
by the FARC took her by
surprise.
In this respect, she
considered that the
decision was within
President Alvaro Uribe's
logic, because he has
been fostering for long
time the Catholic
Church's participation
in the process with the
FARC.
However, she warned that
the guerrilla group is
totally against that
idea, because it does
not trust the Catholic
Church.
In this reference,
Cordoba considered that
it is a hindrance now
that will obviously
delay a little the
process to release those
hostages.
However, she reiterated
that progress has been
made and that "the
positions of both sides
have become flexible."
She explained that fast
handing over of the
hostages would depend on
the capacity we have to
convince, on one hand,
the government and on
the other hand, the
guerrillas, with strong
arguments, and she did
not ruled out it could
happen the current
month.
Cordoba denied media
versions saying that the
FARC had already given
the coordinates for the
release of the six
hostages, or the names
of the four military
officers they would
release.
The liberal senator
ratified her support for
a political solution to
the Colombian conflict,
and said not to approve
the armed struggle, and
that the only solution
is negotiation, because
"we are in favor of
life, freedom and
democracy."
I am confident the
guerrillas and the
government seat
themselves at the
negotiation table this
year, because the
insurgent group does not
insist any more on
clearing the Florida and
Pradera municipalities
and has announced its
willingness to
negotiate.
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