FARC - FRANCE
FARC say Sarkozy has key role to play
Saturday, December 1, 2007
FARC 'commander' Ivan Marquez has said that French President Nicolas Sarkozy can play an important role in mediating a hostage swap between the guerilla group and the Colombian government.
Saturday, December 1, 2007
By AFP
"President Sarkozy can play a very important role for the process of exchanging hostages launched initially with good results by (Venezuelan President) Hugo Chavez," rebel "commander" Ivan Marquez said in an interview with the Bolivarian News Agency ABN.
Earlier Saturday Sarkozy spoke to Colombian President Alvaro Uribe by telephone and said he was counting on Uribe's help to free some 45 hostages held by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), including French-Colombian politician Ingrid Betancourt.
Colombia on Friday released recently-seized videos of hostages, including Betancourt and three US nationals, which were the first sign in years that they were alive. The Colombian government said the five videos appear to have been taped in October.
The videos surfaced after Uribe last week called off efforts by Venezulean President Hugo Chavez to mediate a hostage swap between FARC and Bogota, which holds around 500 followers of the rebel group captive.
Marquez, a member of FARC's secretariat, told ABN that the videos were for Chavez, who during weeks of secret talks on the proposed exchange had promised he would get proof the hostages were alive.
"The proof of life of the hostages had been destined for President Hugo Chavez, and the Colombian government knew that," said Marquez.
Asked if FARC would be offering more evidence that the hostages were still alive, Marquez said that the rebel now had to take "drastic steps" to be more careful because Colombian forces had seized three of its people when they obtained the videos.
Among the 45 people held by rebels, most of them for several years, are Betancourt, three US contractors who were working in anti-narcotis operations and numerous Colombian political figures.
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Sunday, December 2, 2007
Sarkozy to free Colombian hostages?
By Kenneth T. Tellis
When the issue of the hostages held by FARC was being dealt with by Venezuelan President Hugo Rafael Frias, the U.S. and its Colombian puppet did not want it to succeed. Thus Colombia with prodding from U.S. President George W. Bush scuttled the whole plan. Now why scuttle such a humanitarian attempt by Chavez? Because, if it succeeded Hugo Chavez Frias would become an icon to Latin Americans, and Washington would not be party to such a move.
Now, expecting French President Nicolas Sarkozy to attempt freeing the hostages held by FARC, would not be a good move. Why would Latin Americans ask an outsider to deal with an issue that can be settled by Latin Americans themselves? It just does not make any sense at all. Perhaps this idea came from the hare-brained moron in the White House, but it should not be followed knowing from where it eminated in the first place.
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Armen Georgian
01/12 22:00 GMT+1 F24 International Affairs Editor
- Armen Georgian
- 01/12 22:00 GMT+1 F24 International Affairs Editor
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