Bill Richardson Plans Venezuela Trip On Hostages

[Purveyor]

Source: Reuters

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Seasoned negotiator Bill Richardson plans to visit Venezuela next month to discuss the fate of three American hostages held by rebels in Colombia, said a U.S. official on Friday.

Richardson, the New Mexico governor, was in Colombia last week for talks with President Alvaro Uribe on the U.S. defense contractors held since 2003.

State Department official Tom Shannon, the top U.S. diplomat for Latin America, told Reuters he had spoken to Richardson, who planned to visit Venezuela next month to see if he could help secure the Americans' release.

"Governor Richardson is a skilled negotiator with a lot of experience in this field and I am sure he has a lot to offer in terms of understanding possible resolutions of the hostage situation," said Shannon in an interview with Reuters as part of a Latin American summit series.

Richardson, who was asked by the hostages' families to step in, was a U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and has helped release Americans held in Sudan, Iraq, North Korea and Cuba.



Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/politicsNews/idUSN0445994420080404

[richardsonfan]

1. Its good we can put partisan differences aside

and get strong and experienced voices to the right places in the world even if the administration is the opposite party.

[Mika]

2. What American(s) did Bill R help get released out of Cuba?

:shrug:

[sandnsea]

9. 1996

"Though not a new phenomenon in the context of Cuba, the mode of its application has changed. On several occasions in the past, and most recently in March of this year when three prisoners were released following a visit by US Congressman Bill Richardson (Prisoners of conscience Luis Grave de Peralta Morell and, Carmen Arias Iglesias and political prisoner Eduardo Prida.), the Cuban Government has acceded to requests from foreign governments and visiting dignitaries to release some political prisoners early but only on condition they leave the country."

http://asiapacific.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGAMR250291996?open&of=ENG-CUB

[Mika]

10. Those were not Americans.

Article says Richardson helped the "release" of Americans from Cuba.

Anyone know this detail?


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[sandnsea]

11. I suspect the article is wrong

Those are the individuals who were released during Richardson's trip to Cuba.

[Mika]

12. Someone is padding Richardson's resume.

As usual, most any info presented relating to Cuba in this country's media is 90% bullshit.

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[sandnsea]

13. Richardson went to Cuba, negotiated the release of prisoners

And negotiated a reduced cost to emigrate from Cuba, and some other issues. That's Amnesty International. No padding about it. The article lumped all the negotiations together, as Americans, that's all.

One of these days you'll realize the people of Cuba are not free.

[Mika]

14. LOL. I've lived in Cuba..

.. so I take your guttersnipe with the grain of salt it's worth.


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[SteinbachMB]

3. Will there be a photo-op with

HUGO?

[Judi Lynn]

5. Here's a choice photo op for your President with his killer puppet, and a killer torturer.

[Andrushka]

4. If Uribe is anywhere near this

it's going to go just great! (/sarcasm)

[annabanana]

6. I think Richardson is probably a good man for this trip.

He a good negotiator and an hones man...

[Johnny Harpo]

7. With His Vast Experience He Would Make A Good.....

choice for Sec. of State or perhaps he will make it to theshort list for VP.

[burrowowl]

8. Better still VP!

and appoint a good state department civil servant for Secretary of State.

[High Plains]

15. American hostages = mercenary POWs

These guys are, I believe, employees of Dyncorp, which subcontracts with the State Department to help run its imperial counterinsurgency in Colombia. They were shot down as they were spraying poisons on the coca fields. Tough luck, guys. It's been a few years, too.