BOGOTA (Reuters) – Colombian President Alvaro Uribe agreed yesterday to rebel demands that they be allowed to free hostages one at a time rather than all at once, a reversal in government policy that could speed up releases.
The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, is holding 24 soldiers and police, some for as long as 12 years. Uribe previously insisted the guerrillas free all the hostages at one time, a condition the FARC rejected.
The change in government position could set the stage for the release of two soldiers the FARC had offered to free in April. The father of Pablo Moncayo, one of the two soldiers, has led a campaign for the freedom of kidnap victims, wrapping himself in chains and walking throughout Colombia.
Uribe has designated opposition Senator Piedad Cordoba, the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Roman Catholic Church to participate in the hand-over of hostages.
“This should be done in a short time, so that the torture does not continue,” the government said in a statement after Uribe met with the families of the kidnap victims.
Cordoba, who has helped negotiate past hostage releases, said the move by Uribe could set the stage for a new round of hand-overs to start in the days ahead.
The change in policy also comes as the president’s supporters try to amend the constitution to allow him to run for a third term in 2010.
Uribe, whose father was killed in a 1983 FARC kidnapping attempt, is seen as a hero to many for his U.S.-backed crackdown on the rebels, who are widely despised for their practice of taking hostages for ransom and political leverage.
The plight of Colombia’s kidnap victims gained world attention last year when state security forces rescued French-Colombian politician Ingrid Betancourt and three American anti-drug contractors who had been held for years by the guerrillas in secret jungle camps.
The FARC, which finances itself mostly through cocaine trafficking, has been fighting the state since 1964.
Uribe has been criticized by neighboring socialist governments in Venezuela and Ecuador for his plan to allow U.S. anti-narcotics and anti-guerrilla operations to be carried out from Colombian military and air bases.
