COLOMBIA: Relatives of hostages call on Uribe to negotiate for release

As long-awaited proofs-of-life of some of the FARC's most high-profile hostages appear, relatives call on Colombian President Alvaro Uribe to consider reinitiating Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's role as a mediator. Meanwhile, relatives and Uribe speak of mixed emotions at seeing the videos and photos of the hostages. Relatives of Colombian hostages implored President Alvaro Uribe on Friday (November 30) to reconsider his decision to cut Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez out of negotiations with left-wing rebels after the appearance of long-awaited proofs-of-life of some of the most high-profile hostages. The Colombian government broadcast videos on Friday of kidnapped politician Ingrid Betancourt and three Americans in the first proof since 2003 that the rebel hostages were still alive. The videos, which also showed Colombian military officers kidnapped by guerrillas, were confiscated from three suspected rebels captured in Bogota and included images from October, Peace Commissioner Luis Carlos Restrepo said. Betancourt, a dual French-Colombian citizen and former presidential candidate captured in 2002, and the Americans are among the most well-known captives held by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia rebels waging Latin America's oldest insurgency. French President Nicolas Sarkozy played a key role in recent efforts to broker a deal to free FARC hostages in exchange for jailed rebel fighters. Earlier this year, Uribe freed a FARC commander to try to broker talks and in August invited Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez to mediate. The FARC wants to exchange around 50 hostages for jailed rebels, but efforts by Chavez to broker a hostage deal fell apart after Colombia suspended his role as mediator. Uribe said the Venezuelan leftist had broken with protocol by contacting a top Colombian military chief without permission. The failed hostage release efforts triggered a diplomatic spat between Uribe and Chavez, who has said he will have no relations with Colombia while Uribe is in office. But on Friday, Betancourt's mother Yolanda Pulecio called on Uribe to bring Chavez back into the negotiations. "I only ask the President to reconsider - that he looks at how my daughter is, that he think of how it would be if it were his child - and that he help us. Take away all this pride, desire of violence, this hatred and please - I implore - that he reinitiates the mediation of President Chavez and Piedad Cordoba," she said. Meanwhile, other relatives of hostages gathered in front of the Attorney General's office, to call for more progress in negotiations. Emilse Rodriguez, the wife of a hostage, said the proofs-of-life brought about mixed emotions. "There are many emotions - feelings of happiness at seeing him, but lots of sadness at seeing the situation they're in," she said. Uribe also said he had mixed feelings. "I celebrate, I celebrate that the Colombian army has found this evidence. I celebrate that the Attorney General's office told us last night that they are credible. I celebrate that it refers to a good number of hostages - not all. What sadness though that that they have not found proofs-of-life of the others. I hope they come," he said. Started in the 1960s as a leftist insurgency, the FARC is now deeply engaged in Colombia's cocaine trade and has kidnapped scores of police, soldiers, business owners and lawmakers for ransom and political leverage.

ITN Source | December 1, 2007

Tags:. .latin. .fighters. .engaged. .citizen. .exchange