Farc 'ready to release hostages'

[Judi Lynn]

Source: BBC News

Last Updated: Wednesday, 9 January 2008, 21:59 GMT

Farc 'ready to release hostages'

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has said Colombia's Farc rebels are ready to release two high-profile hostages and have told him where they are.
Mr Chavez said Venezuela would request permission from Colombia to pick up the two hostages.

The hostages are former Congresswoman Consuelo Gonzalez and Clara Rojas, an aide to former Colombian presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt.

The Colombian government has not yet commented on Mr Chavez's statement.

Mr Chavez said that Venezuelan helicopters could pick up the hostages as early as Thursday morning.



Read more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7180201.stm

[Judi Lynn]

1. Venezuela president says receiving hostage release location

Venezuela president says receiving hostage release location


www.chinaview.cn 2008-01-10 05:55:20

CARACAS, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez told media on Wednesday that he has finally received coordination for the release of two hostages by Colombia's largest rebel army, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).

Speaking at an event to welcome the nation's volleyball team, which had just won their ticket to this year's Olympic Games in Chinese capital Beijing, he said that the nation's Foreign Minister Nicolas Maduro is in touch with his Colombian counterpart seeking authorization for Red Cross aircraft to pick up the hostages.

"This morning we received a message from the FARC high command giving the location of a mountain in Colombia where we can find Clara Rojas and Consuelo Gonzalez," Chavez said.

In December statement, the FARC had promised to release former legislator Gonzalez, former vice-presidential candidate Rojas, and Rojas's young son Emmanuel to Chavez, as a compensation for his August-to-November mediation work.

More:
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-01/10/content_7395621.htm

[LakeSamish706]

2. Good on Hugo Chavez, thats a great humanitarian accomplishment....

Somehow I doubt that George W Bush would have gone to the trouble to do something as humane as this!

[Judi Lynn]

3. Don't be so fast to judge! He just might send an autographed photo of himself dancing with Ricky

Martin to the families of the hostages...

[LakeSamish706]

4. LOL.... Good one... n/t

[Judi Lynn]

5. Chavez given OK for rescue mission in Colombia

Chavez given OK for rescue mission in Colombia
Updated 19m ago



Patricia Perdomo, daughter of kidnapped former Colombian congresswoman
Consuelo Gonzalez, left, and Clara Gonzalez de Rojas, mother of kidnapped
Colombian politician Clara Rojas, speak during a press conference in
Caracas, Friday. "We are very happy, very content knowing that — God
willing — my mother could be free tomorrow," Perdomo said today.

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Colombian rebels on Wednesday provided a pickup location for two hostages they have held for years, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said, and the Colombian government gave him the green light to launch a rescue mission.

Chavez said the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, sent him the coordinates to pick up Clara Rojas — an aide to former Colombian presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt — and former congresswoman Consuelo Gonzalez.

"This morning we received the coordinates there in the Colombian mountains where Clara and Consuelo are," Chavez said during a televised speech. "Hopefully, Clara and Consuelo will be free in the coming hours."

Colombia's government responded promptly, saying it was agreeing to the mission. Peace Commissioner Luis Carlos Restrepo said his government would "provide all the necessary guarantees" so the hostages can "return home as soon as possible."

More:
http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2008-01-09-chavez-colombia_N.htm

[Judi Lynn]

6. Colombia approves hostage mission-Red Cross

Colombia approves hostage mission-Red Cross
Wed Jan 9, 2008 4:02pm EST

BOGOTA, Jan 9 (Reuters) - Colombia's government on Wednesday approved a mission sponsored by Venezuela to free two hostages held by leftist rebels, said a spokesman for the International Committee of the Red Cross.

"We will participate in this humanitarian mission, which was announced by (Venezuelan President Hugo) Chavez and approved by the Colombian government," said Yves Heller, spokesman for the Red Cross in Colombia.

The mission is expected to take place on Thursday.

http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSN09622587

[Pastiche423]

7. Tomorrow I hope to read of their

safe return.

[Bacchus39]

8. Oliver Stone, "Hostage release Take 2, roll 'em.!!!!"

n/t

[cal04]

9. Colombian Rebels Detail Hostage Location

Colombian rebels on Wednesday provided a pickup location for two women they have held hostage for years, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said, and the Colombian government gave him the green light to launch a rescue mission.

Chavez said the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, sent him the coordinates to pick up Clara Rojas - an aide to former Colombian presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt - and former congresswoman Consuelo Gonzalez. A previous Venezuelan-led mission to free the hostages failed just over a week ago.

``This morning we received the coordinates there in the Colombian mountains where Clara and Consuelo are,'' Chavez said during a televised speech. ``Hopefully, Clara and Consuelo will be free in the coming hours.''

Colombia's government responded promptly, saying it was agreeing to the mission. Peace Commissioner Luis Carlos Restrepo said his government would ``provide all the necessary guarantees'' so the hostages can ``return home as soon as possible.''

http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-7212789,00.html

Venezuela Readying for Hostage Release
if permission is granted, the craft might take off early Thursday for the Guaviare area to find the two women, whose release triggered an unsuccessful international effort in late 2007.

http://www.plenglish.com/Default.asp

[Judi Lynn]

10. FARC set to release two hostages

Caracas, Tuesday January 08 , 2008

FARC set to release two hostages

The rebel Colombian Revolutionary Armed Forces (FARC) reasserted they are to release former vice-presidential candidate Clara Rojas and former lawmaker Consuelo González de Perdomo, as they promised to President Hugo Chávez.

A TV news show quoted the FARC spokesman Raúl Reyes, who also confirmed that Emmanuel, the son of Clara Rojas and a FARC member, is under the guardianship of the Colombian government.

In his statements -made last January 4- Reyes claimed that "the FARC are not changing their mind. They do not cheat or manipulate." He underscored that the leftwing group would deliver the two women who are "under their responsibility," Efe reported.

According to the TV news show, the rebel group insisted that, to move forward in talks about the release of the other hostages, the Colombian government needs to remove the military forces from the towns of Pradera and Florida, in Valle del Cauca, southwest Colombia. The Colombian government has repeatedly rejected this request.

More:
http://english.eluniversal.com/2008/01/08/en_pol_art_farc-set-to-release_08A1290639.shtml
opposition newspaper

[arcos]

11. I'd say they do cheat and manipulate...

They cheated and fooled Chávez when they said they had Emmanuel and said they were going to release him along with the other two hostages.

That doesn't make the paramilitaries, or Uribe's fascist government any better than the FARC, they are ALL scum... but I really expected the FARC to AT LEAST be honest with Chávez.

Hopefully, someday this tragic conflict in Colombia will end peacefully.

[Judi Lynn]

13. Hi, arcos. Good to see you around.

I don't think there will ever be peace in Colombia as long as the American business community profits from the war there, and as long as the Colombian government itself profits from the war there by raking in the world's THIRD LARGEST FOREIGN AID PACKAGE IN THE WORLD.

The current President Uribe has never had to live on only Colombia's budget: he has always had at least 600,000,000.00 dollars every year to help him through the rough spots. I don't think he's EVER going to give up this wealth he's been using at the expense of actual hard-working men and women in the United States, handed off to them by a man who has NEVER had to work a day in his life, despite his pretensions!



Oh, he has so much damned work to do!

[arcos]

14. Sadly, I agree...

Hopefully, Colombia can elect a good left winger (or at least a centrist, that'd be a good change from Uribe!) in the next elections. Rumor has it that Senator Piedad Córdoba, who helped negotiate the hostage release along with Chávez may be running, and I'm sure she would make a damn good President.

Good to see you around too Judi! :hi:

[Judi Lynn]

12. Colombia in second round of attempted hostage handover

Colombia in second round of attempted hostage handover
13 hours ago

BOGOTA (AFP) — An airborne operation to pluck two hostages from their rebel captors deep in the Colombian jungle ground back to life Thursday, after a botched handover attempt collapsed ten days ago.

Two Venezuelan helicopters were to depart Venezuela at 1100 GMT bound for the small city of San Jose del Guaviare in southeastern Colombia, and from there travel into the jungle, top officials of both governments said.
(snip)

"That depends on the logistical organization of the humanitarian mission, on weather conditions and other factors," Yves Heller told AFP. "We will do it as quickly as possible."
(snip)

Confirming that Bogota had approved Chavez's new handover plan, Colombian peace commissioner Luis Carlos Restrepo said the two governments, which have had tense relations, were in close coordination this time around.

"There is a good spirit of collaboration between the two countries and we are now making progress on operational steps that will permit -- with the greatest speed --- the liberation" of the two women, Restrepo said Wednesday.
(snip)

A suspected FARC go-between sought protection from Colombian police in late December, saying the FARC was threatening to kill him if he did not return a boy they had given him in 2005, who was subsequently seized by social services on suspicion of child abuse.

The tip enabled Colombian authorities to track down the boy, and DNA tests conducted in Colombia and Spain using samples from Rojas' mother and brother have confirmed that the youngster is indeed her son.

http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5gSH-vESUkQqdP1lcD-jSJRhz12sQ

(Interesting explanation on why it is the FARC didn't have access to the child. There's been almost nothing written whatsoever about this for Americans to study.)

[Bacchus39]

15. "There's been almost nothing written whatsoever about this for Americans to study"

that's been in print for days now. The FARC was going to kidnap the boy in order to give him his freedom back. wtf!!!!!!

I guess we know why the original proposed rendezvous point was so close to Bogota, where the child was residing

[cal04]

16. Two Helicopters land in Columbia

Two Venezuelan helicopters have landed in Colombia, with the International Red Cross overseeing the mission
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/01/10/news/Venezuela-Colombia-Hostages.php

[Judi Lynn]

17. Here's a map showing the town where the article was written you posted:

Edit: I'm having trouble getting a map to post! Here's my next try:



The town is just south of the river Guaviare, the former site, Villavicencio, and Bogota.

On edit, adding short item from a Venezuelan opposition newspaper:

Caracas, Thursday January 10 , 2008
Venezuelan choppers depart for Colombia to pick up hostages

A mission to rescue two hostages held by the Colombian Revolutionary Armed Forces (FARC) started early on Thursday, said Irma Álvarez, the spokeswoman for the Red Cross International Committee in Venezuela.

"The operation is under way. The aircrafts departed for Colombia," Álvarez said, as quoted by AFP. The mission "is coordinated by the two governments (Colombia's and Venezuela's) and jointly with the FARC, which are going to release the two hostages."

"For logistic reasons, we cannot provide further information right now. This is a delicate operation, and therefore we are asking people to be patient," Álvarez added.

http://english.eluniversal.com/2008/01/10/en_chcol_art_venezuelan-choppers_10A1294439.shtml

[cal04]

21. thank you Judi Lynn for the map

I'm so happy it's over for them
Now I'm hoping Chavez gets the rest out

[Judi Lynn]

18. Colombia, Venezuela try again for hostage release

updated 2 hours, 33 minutes ago

Colombia, Venezuela try again for hostage release

(CNN) -- Helicopters could fly to Colombia Thursday to free two women who have been held hostage for years in the Colombian jungle.
(snip)

FARC has justified hostage-taking as a legitimate military tactic in a long-running and complex civil war that also has involved right-wing paramilitary units, government forces and drug traffickers.

The group's captives include three U.S. contractors who were captured when their plane went down in 2003 during a drug-eradication flight.

Betancourt, a one-time French-Colombian independent presidential candidate, and Rojas were kidnapped on February 23, 2002, after they ventured into rebel-held territory despite warnings of danger from the Colombian military.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/americas/01/10/colombia.hostages/

[Fredda Weinberg]

19. CNN showed video of a chopper ... hope it finally happened n/t

[Judi Lynn]

20. You bet it did! Hissyspit just posted it at 11:35, at this link:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x3132561

Can hardly believe it, yet. Unbelievable.