By IANS
Bogota : Radical leftist outfit Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), which last week handed over two hostages to the Venezuelan government, is likely to announce plans to free more of their captives, EFE news agency reported Friday.
The guerrillas intend to hand over one of three US military contractors they captured in 2003 as well as four other prisoners who are in poor health, the news agency quoted La W radio station as saying Thursday.
Colombian senator Piedad Cordoba, when contacted by La W for comments, refused to speculate on an imminent release of more hostages by the FARC and said the matter required “much discretion” of all those involved.
Cordoba and Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez had launched an initiative to secure the release of the two hostages.
Last Thursday, the FARC freed former vice presidential candidate Clara Rojas and ex-lawmaker Consuelo Gonzalez de Perdomo after six years of captivity.
The FARC wants to exchange 44 high-value captives for hundreds of jailed rebels by way of what it calls a humanitarian accord, but insists that Bogota must agree to a temporary demilitarised zone to serve as a venue for negotiations for actual swap.
Uribe, while insisting he wants an exchange, rejects the call for a demilitarised area and insists the government has a duty to try to rescue the hostages, an idea strongly opposed by the captives’ families.
The president did agree, however, to a proposal from the Catholic Church for a “meeting zone” to negotiate a swap, a leading bishop said Wednesday, adding that the government was in contact with the FARC over the initiative.
Letters and photographs brought back by Gonzalez show that a number of captives, police and military officers, are being held in chains. The revelations have added pressure on both FARC and the government to reach agreement on an exchange.