Venezuelan Efforts Praised, Meeting Postponed in Colombian Hostage Negotiation
Caracas, October 4, 2007 (venezuelanalysis.com)- UN High Commissioner Antonio Guterres, congratulated the government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela this Wednesday, in relation to the efforts of President Hugo Chavez to achieve a humanitarian exchange of 45 hostages held by the FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia), for guerrilla insurgents held in Colombia jails, with a view to achieving peace in Colombia.
Guterres made the comments during the 58th session of the Executive Committee of the Office of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR).
During its presentation at the UNHCR meeting, the Venezuelan delegation emphasized that the decades long internal conflict in Colombia generates the highest number of refugees in Latin America. It is estimated that some two million Colombians immigrants live in Venezuela, many of them fleeing the conflict in their home country.
"Our most sincere thanks to all the voices of the world, of France, Switzerland, Spain, Brazil, Argentina, Ecuador and many other countries, as well as diverse international organizations, that have raised their voice to say YES to peace in Colombia, YES to the efforts led by President Chavez and Colombian Senator Piedad Córdoba," the statement from the Venezuelan delegation continued.
Chavez also confirmed, in an interview published yesterday in the French magazine Paris Match, that he had received assurances from the FARC that French Colombian citizen Ingrid Betancourt is alive and well. "There is no reason to think she is dead. All the information that we have indicates that she is alive," he said
Chavez added that a few weeks ago he had sent a message questioning the FARC in this respect, through Colombian Senator Piedad Córdoba, who is acting as a mediator on behalf of the Colombian government.
According to Iván Márquez, a member of the general command of the FARC, the three US citizens Keith Stansell, Thomas Howes and Marc Gonsalves, have received "respectful and dignified treament."
In a declaration made on September 28 and published on the FARC's website on Tuesday, Márquez said that this treatment contrasted with that received by the guerrillas Ricardo Palmera, alias 'Simón Trinidad', and Anayibe Rojas, alias 'Sonia', who are being held in prison in the US.
The jury is still out on the case of Palmera, 57, who was extradited to the US by the Uribe government and is accused of "conspiracy to traffic drugs" into the US. The jury indicated on Tuesday that it could not reach a unanimous agreement over the validity of the charges against Palmero and is continuing deliberations.
However, Colombian President El Alvaro Uribe, affirmed again this Wednesday that he won't accept the inclusion of 'Sonia' y 'Simón Trinidad' in the humanitarian exchange.
"The government of Colombia says ‘forcefully no' to the rebel chiefs Simón Trinidad and 'Sonia' being returned from the United States to Colombia".
"If we accept the pressure that 'Sonia' and 'Simón Trinidad' are returned from the United States to participate in a humanitarian exchange with the FARC, that would be disastrous, a negative precedent" he argued.
Córdoba, who is visiting the US to get support for the process of negotiating a humanitarian exchange, said that she has formed a team of lawyers in Washington to look at options in the case of Sonia and Simón Trinidad.
She is also hoping to meet next week with US secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, and if this happens, it will be the first time a member of the Bush government participates in the process. The position of Bush is not to negotiate with "terrorists."
Despite Uribe's call for a bipartisan Congressional delegation from the US to participate in talks between Colombian officials, Chavez and the FARC, Córdoba said that until now, no Republican legislator has accepted to be part of the group that will travel to Caracas.
Today Córdoba is meeting with Sonia, who is serving a 17-year sentence in Fort Worth prison, found guilty by a US court of "trafficking drugs."
Meanwhile, Chavez says that the first meeting with the FARC, due to take place in Caracas on October 8, may have to be postponed, "if we consider the declarations, not those of president Uribe, other declarations of other people that have said that the Colombian Guerillas will have to come to Caracas at their own risk"
However, he affirmed, "the meeting with the representative of [FARC leader] Marulanda is planned and we are planning the technical details, logistics. It's going to be very important to continue constructing an option towards the humanitarian exchange and I hope forward towards a peace accord."
Chavez said he remains optimistic about the possibilities of the success of his mediation, despite the failure of previous attempts to achieve the liberation of the hostages through a humanitarian exchange.
