Colombian President Paves Way for Hostage
Releases
Bogota – Colombian President Alvaro Uribe on
Saturday paved the way for the unilateral
release of several hostages held by the
Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or
FARC, guerrilla group, authorizing
opposition Sen. Piedad Cordoba to
participate in the handover and dropping its
condition that all the captives be released
at once.
“The unilateral release of captives offered
by the FARC is being mediated by the
International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)
and the Catholic Church,” said a brief
communique read to reporters by peace
commissioner Frank Pearl at the Nariño
presidential palace.
Uribe, Pearl, Defense Minister Gabriel Silva
and National Police director Gen. Oscar
Naranjo met Saturday morning in the Bogota
military airport with family members of
various hostages of the Revolutionary Armed
Forces of Colombia, or FARC, guerrilla
group.
According to the communique read by Pearl,
during that meeting “the families asked the
president to facilitate the release of
captives offered by the FARC, without
imposing the condition that all kidnap
victims be freed simultaneously.”
The FARC expressed months ago its
willingness to unilaterally free army Corp.
Pablo Emilio Moncayo, kidnapped almost 12
years ago, and another soldier, Josue Daniel
Calvo, as well has handing over the body of
policeman Julian Guevara, who died in
captivity.
The rebel group demanded that the captives
be released to opposition Sen. Cordoba,
something Uribe authorized on July 8.
But at the time the president put as a
condition the simultaneous liberation of all
police and soldiers that the FARC want to
exchange for imprisoned rebels (the
guerrillas speak of 23, the government of
24), as well as the handing over of the
remains of three men who died in captivity.
On Saturday, however, the government
withdrew that condition, and repeated its
authorization for Sen. Piedad Cordoba to
take part in the liberaton” of Moncayo and
Calvo, and the handover of Guevara’s body. |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
