Colombia: 3 Hostages May Be Freed Soon

(December, 20, Colombia, Sri Lanka Guardian) President Hugo Chávez confirmed that he had received a statement from the Colombian rebel group Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia or FARC, saying it would release three hostages to him or whomever he chooses. Earlier, Prensa Latina, a Cuban news agency, reported that the group had ordered the release of Clara Rojas, the running mate of Ingrid Betancourt, a presidential candidate when both were kidnapped in 2002. Also to be freed are Consuelo González, a congresswoman kidnapped in 2001, and Ms. Rojas' young son, Emmanuel, whose father is one of the guerrillas who have been holding Ms. Rojas. The rebels' statement, dated December 9, did not indicate when they would be released.
This is the best news we had in Colombia for a long time, because:

a. It's a humanitarian gesture: Clara Rojas and Consuelo González had been kidnapped for five and seven years, respectively. Clara Rojas's son was born in captivity in unknown circumstances. If there is something this country wants, it's to put a face on this child.

b. It's unilateral. No conditions are attached

c. And, of course, it's also political. This is intended to pressure President Uribe into demilitarizing two municipalities for further talks, a condition that became a stumbling block in the past five years. It is also directed as a message of support to President Chávez, whose facilitation of the exchange of hostages for jailed guerrillas was ended by Uribe rather dramatically, I must say, a few weeks ago.

The fact that the FARC are still able to think politics is of the outmost importance. It means they are permeable to political stimulus and negotiations can be done. For a long time, many of us wondered whether they had any political vein left in them.

My feeling is that the Uribe government should meet this gesture with generosity, the same generosity it extended to those who cut people alive in little pieces (paramilitary groups began a process of demobilization in 2003, and the truth we are learning is beyond belief). Nevertheless, it seems the government won't budge. If these three hostages are released, there will be another 43 political hostages in the hands of the FARC -- some of them kidnapped 10 years ago -- whose only hope is a negotiated agreement for release. The FARC has also about 700 hostages for whom it expects payment of ransom.

Let's hope the announcement is true, and these three hostages come home for Christmas.