Venezuela: Colombian rebels to handover 3 hostages Fri

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2007-12-28 15:21

BOGOTA - Colombia's largest rebel group, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), will hand over three hostages to Venezuela on Friday, Venezuelans Ambassador to Colombia Pavel Rondon announced on Thursday.


Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez explains the plan to free Colombian hostages held by FARC guerrilla during a news conference in Caracas Dec. 26, 2007.[Xinhua]

"Alongside all Colombians, all Venezuelans and all the world we are waiting for the freeing of these three people," Rondon said. "We are waiting for international guarantees to start the operation."

Colombia on Wednesday had authorized a plan crafted by Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez to send helicopters, painted with Red Cross emblems, carrying envoys from France, Brazil, Ecuador, Bolivia, Cuba and Argentina to pick up the hostages from some point in the Colombian jungle. Colombia's high commissioner for peace, Luis Carlos Restrepo, will also be part of the trip.

In a December 9 statement the FARC offered to hand over to Venezuela former vice presidential candidate Clara Rojas, 44; her son born in captivity Emmanuel, 3; and former legislator Consuelo Gonzalez, 57.

The three are part of the group of around 45 high-value captives that the FARC is seeking to exchange for 500 jailed FARC fighters.

Rondon said the envoys would fly from Venezuela to Colombian city Villavicencio and then head for the jungle. They could then either head for Venezuela or Ecuador once Gonzalez, Rojas and her son are on board.

Speaking separately to the press from Brazil, presidential advisor and Brazilian envoy Marco Aurelio Garcia, confirmed the Friday date and said that he hoped that it would lead to a broader humanitarian agreement and then on to peace for Colombia.

France has campaigned for the release of the hostages because one of them is former presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt, who has Colombian and French nationality, and was kidnapped in February 2002 alongside Rojas, then her running mate. Gonzalez was captured on September 10, 2001.



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