FARC seeks accord with Colombia on kidnapped hostages

BOGOTA (AFP) Jul 14, 2003
The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombiarebel group signaled Monday that it might be ready to seek a humanitarian accord on its kidnapped hostages, but stressed that a region of southern Colombia still needs to be demilitarized.

Colombia's government has strongly rebuffed such demilitarization calls from FARC in the past.

The 17,000-strong leftist rebel group is keen to reach a peace settlement with the government, but at the same time it denounced as militaristic the government of President Alvaro Uribe.

The FARC said it is paying heed to the urgings of political parties, the Catholic Church, foreign governments and the general public, all of whom want to see a settlement that includes a release of hostages.

FARC is holding some 800 hostages -- including soldiers, senators, mayors, a presidential candidate and a handful of US citizens -- it has kidnapped during its lengthy campaign against the government.

The government has some 600 FARC supporters in prisons.

The group said it has already "named three negotiators, while the government has failed to respond in a positive manner, and remains obstructionist and lacking in political will."

The group also said Uribe's administration should withdraw its troops from the two southern provinces of Caqueta and Putumayo, as this could kick-start a fresh dialogue with government officials as well as opening talks on the exchange of hostages.

Meanwhile, government officials met with members of the FARC's most bitter enemy, the 10,000-strong right-wing United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC) paramilitaries, to work out plans to start formal peace talks.

According to local news reports AUC leaders Carlos Castano and Salvatore Mancuso -- two men Washington wants extradited to the United States on drug trafficking charges -- will lead the paramilitary side at the negotiations.

The United States considers both the FARC, the AUC and a smaller leftist Colombian group terrorist organizations with ties to drug trafficking.

Also on Monday Uribe announced that he will govern the country for three days from the eastern province of Arauca, one of the most violent regions of the country.

Guerrillas from both leftist groups as well as right-wing paramilitaries are active in the Arauca region.

Uribe will travel to Arauca on Tuesday with the country's top military brass and some 80 officials, where he will govern from an army base.

WAR.WIRE