Chavez says he has coordinates for hostage release in Colombia

[Judi Lynn]

Chavez says he has coordinates for hostage release in Colombia
Posted : Wed, 09 Jan 2008 20:46:04 GMT

Caracas - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has received from Colombian leftist rebels the coordinates for the handover of two of their hostages, Chavez said Wednesday. The controversial Venezuelan president said his foreign minister, Nicolas Maduro, would request authorization from his Colombian counterpart, Fernando Araujo, to launch operations to receive the two hostages, held more than six years - former vice presidential candidate Clara Rojas and former legislator Consuelo Gonzalez.

An international operation to free them last week failed. The two women are currently held by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).

http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/171492.html

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If Chavez really has the information, Uribe is going to look suspect in not finding a way to arrange this hostage swap.

[Judi Lynn]

1. Chavez given OK for rescue mission in Colombia

Chavez given OK for rescue mission in Colombia
Updated 19m ago



Patricia Perdomo, daughter of kidnapped former Colombian congresswoman
Consuelo Gonzalez, left, and Clara Gonzalez de Rojas, mother of kidnapped
Colombian politician Clara Rojas, speak during a press conference in
Caracas, Friday. "We are very happy, very content knowing that — God
willing — my mother could be free tomorrow," Perdomo said today.

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Colombian rebels on Wednesday provided a pickup location for two hostages they have held for years, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said, and the Colombian government gave him the green light to launch a rescue mission.

Chavez said the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, sent him the coordinates to pick up Clara Rojas — an aide to former Colombian presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt — and former congresswoman Consuelo Gonzalez.

"This morning we received the coordinates there in the Colombian mountains where Clara and Consuelo are," Chavez said during a televised speech. "Hopefully, Clara and Consuelo will be free in the coming hours."

Colombia's government responded promptly, saying it was agreeing to the mission. Peace Commissioner Luis Carlos Restrepo said his government would "provide all the necessary guarantees" so the hostages can "return home as soon as possible."

More:
http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2008-01-09-chavez-colombia_N.htm

[magbana]

2. FARC Statement on Hostage Release

The following FARC statement was issued on January 8 before the hostage release and is available in Spanish only. When I get the English version, I will forward to the group. No surprise here - Alvaro Uribe has been playing games .

FARC emite comunicado de entrega de dos rehenes


El Secretariado del Estado Mayor Central de las Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC) emitió un comunicado, fechado el 08 de enero desde las montañas de ese país, donde anuncia la entrega de Clara Rojas y Consuelo González de Perdomo.

El texto fue publicado por la Agencia Bolivariana de Prensa (ABP) en su página web en momentos en que dos helicópteros venezolanos despegaban al lugar de la entrega de Rojas y González.

Las FARC en su comunicado reafirman la disposición a seguir trabajando por el Acuerdo Humanitario y en la solución dialogada del conflicto interno.

A continuación, la comunicación de las FARC:

“Comunicado

“1. El gobierno de Álvaro Uribe, a través del canciller Araújo y del ministro Holguín, acaba de darle un grosero portazo a la comisión humanitaria internacional que se apresta a recibir a Clara Rojas y a Consuelo González, quienes ya están listas en un lugar de Colombia a la espera de ser recogidas por los emisarios del presidente Chávez.

“2. De esta manera, los colombianos y la comunidad internacional pueden reafirmar su certeza, de que definitivamente este gobierno no quiere el canje humanitario y apela a toda clase de pretextos para darle continuidad a la guerra e impedir la solución política al conflicto social y armado.

“3. Primero, secuestró las pruebas de vida de los prisioneros y a los correos humanitarios en Bogotá, luego a Emmanuel, y ahora le niega a la comisión internacional su facilitación en la liberación de la madre del niño y de la ex congresista Consuelo González de Perdomo.

“4. Por parte de las FARC, todo está listo para la entrega de Clara y Consuelo al Presidente de la República Bolivariana de Venezuela, Hugo Chávez Frías. Reiteramos en este sentido, que nunca hemos hecho acuerdos ni asumido compromisos con el gobierno ilegítimo, pro-yanqui y narco-paramilitar del señor Uribe, que hace hasta lo imposible por obstruir tanto el acuerdo humanitario, como la salida civilizada al prolongado conflicto que vive Colombia, porque ésa es la política que le impone su amo del norte.

“5. Al presidente Chávez, a los familiares de los prisioneros, a los pueblos del mundo y países amigos, personalidades y simpatizantes del Acuerdo Humanitario, les reafirmamos nuestra disposición a seguir trabajando en ese objetivo y en la solución dialogada del conflicto interno. Los invitamos a continuar adelante en su aporte pacificador y humanitario.

Secretariado del Estado Mayor Central de las FARC-EP.
Montañas de Colombia, enero 8 del 2008”.

Agencia Bolivariana de Noticias (ABN)
Jueves, 10/01/08

[Judi Lynn]

3. Thanks, magbana. Didn't know a statement had been issued.

Hope we get a chance to find out a whole lot more about this soon. Hope the rebels will find a way to get their own explanation of what has happened available for the world to hear.

Some of us most definitely want to know what they have to say.

[Clanfear]

4. I would like for the rebels to free ALL of the hostages.

How about you?

[Bacchus39]

7. they just took 6 more this week

n/t

[magbana]

5. FARC Statement in ENGLISH plus Rojas' press conf in Colombia

Okay, Judi, here you go!
Thanks to Walter Lippmann at CubaNews for circulating the English version of the FARC statement. And don’t miss Anthony Boynton’s assessment of Clara Rojas’ press conference in Colombia that follows – very interesting.
Magbana

FARC COMMUNIQUE ON HOSTANGE RELEASE (English translation)

The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) issued a
communique, subsequent to the freeing of Clara Rojas and Consuelo
Gonzales, in which they remark that they have given the first
encouraging step "that invites to think on the possibility of peace
in Colombia".

Following, the FARC communique

January 10 of 2007

FARC Communiqué in Regards to the Liberation of Clara and Consuelo

1. Honouring our word and commitment, today the Revolutionary Armed
Forces of Colombia FARC, handover Clara Rojas and Consuelo González
de Perdomo to the President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela,
Hugo Chávez, to Senator Piedad Cordova and the international
community. If the boy Emmanuel is not in the arms of his mother, it
is because President Uribe Vélez has sequestered him in Bogotá. Let
him free so that we can all celebrate this event.

2. This humanitarian and unilateral liberation is possible despite
the hindrance presented by President Uribe himself, a sworn enemy of
the exchange of prisoners and enemy of peace with social justice, as
he follows the ideological guidelines of Washington. Raising above
the intense military operations of the Patriotic Plan, the seizure of
the proofs of life, the capture of the humanitarian messengers who
carried them, the sequestering of little Emmanuel in Bogotá, and the
absurd intention to exclude the international humanitarian commission
from the facilitation, we have taken this first encouraging step that
invites to think about the possibility of peace in Colombia.

3. The efforts must now be directed at obtaining the military
clearing of Pradera and Florida as the stage for the dialogue
government-FARC for the agreement and the materialization of the
exchange to make possible the liberation of all the prisoners in
control of the contending forces, of those captives in the mountain
and the imprisoned guerrillas in the jails of the regime, including
Sonia and Simón. Our will is unquestionable. Let's not forget that in
the recent past we unilaterally released 304 military and police
officers, captured in combat. The handover of Clara and Consuelo we
carry out today reaffirms our disposition.

4. The fact is that we are a belligerent force awaiting recognition
by the governments of the world. This step would smooth the winding
path of the Colombia people in their search for peace. Ours is a
legitimate struggle. It is upheld by the universal right that all
the peoples of the world have to raise against oppression.
Our father, the Liberator Simón Bolivar teaches us that, when power
is oppressive, virtue has the right to overwhelm it, and that the
virtuous man rises against the opressive and unbearable authority to
replace it with a kind and respected one. And this is, indeed, the
FARC's endeavour.

5, President Chávez, thank you very much. The world does not doubt
that your immense heart beats sincerely for the peace of Colombia and
the redemption of the peoples. We also thank the governments and
personalities of the world who have surrounded him without
reservations in this noble effort. And our special thanks to the
brave people of Venezuela for their support and brotherhood. To the
relatives of the prisoners and the friends of the humanitarian
exchange our call to persist. We will obtain the exchange.

Secretariat, Central High Command of the FARC
Mountains of Colombia, January 10 of 2008

=====================================================================

Enero 10 de 2007


ANTHONY BOYNTON ASSESSMENT OF CLARA ROJAS’ PRESS CONFERENCE AND THE BEHAVIOR OF THE COLOMBIAN PRESS (forwarded by Walter Lippman with CubaNews)

Our friend in Colombia, Anthony Boynton writes:

Hi Walter: I just watched most of Clara Rojas's press conference. It
was very interesting. The Colombian journalists asking questions
believe in the yellowist of yellow journalisms, but she did not fall
for any of their bullshit. They focused on the most scandlous things
they could think of, such as her relationship with the FARC militant
that led to her pregnancy, but she handled everything with amazing
poise and presence. She looked good, meaning in good health, and
happy. The political points of the conference which were most
important were: she did not say she thinks the FARC is a terrorist
organizations, despite the journalists repeated efforts to trick her,
B) She did say she thinks the FARC is a criminal organization because
it has more than 700 kidnapped people. C) She described her captivity
with amazing objectivity.

Clearly it was a painful experience, very painful when you consider
the birth of her son, and her separation from her son, but she did
not speak with any animousity toward any of the FARC militants who
were her jailors. Rather she spoke with concern and sympathy for
them. D. She expressed gratitude to Hugo Chaves, Piedad Cordoba, the
French government and people...but did not mention Uribe and the
Colombian government in her gratitude. E.) She verified the FARC
version of events that one of the important reasons the first
scheduled release did not happen was because of Colombian military
activity.

She seems like a remarkably smart and well poised person. Although it
is very clear that her first priority in life is regaining her son
and seeing to it that he can go ahead and have a happy life, she is
likely to reappear in the political world (IMHO).

Anthony

[Judi Lynn]

6. Excellent! I'll be keeping this information to mark this event. It's really the best.

The comments about Uribe's effect on the attempt to release the hostages is exactly what people have been saying to each other in the States, at least the ones who haven't been fooled by the corporate, Washington-controlled media.

The tone was positive, and determined: very, VERY good to see, after all these long, desperate years, isn't it?

Appreciated the commentary by Anthony Boynton. It's really important that the two women were taken to a spot outside Colombia first, to get a bit of rest, and to talk to the world BEFORE they would be under the control of the Colombian government. So very glad it happened this way.

Sure hoping their return to their lives will be safe, and that they will have more than enough people looking out for them to protect them from the radical right-wingers who will be looking to harm them.

The lady Rojas seems very concerned with getting her son the chances to grow and succeed, and I hope nothing will interfere with her plans for his future now.

Thank you for bringing this great information here. It's so good to see it, and think about what it means.



Photos of Consuelo González, before her capture, and Clara de Rojas holding photo of her daughter, Clara Rojas, and after their release.

http://www.theage.com.au/ffximage/2008/01/11/w15_colbia_s_hostages_free_wideweb__470x313,0.jpg
It was imporant to see it repeated that earlier, a couple of years ago or so, they did release others, described in the coments:

....released 304 military and police officers, captured in combat.

As we know, had these 304 returned prisoners been people taken in combat by the other side they would have been slaughtered where they stood, and dumped into mass graves, very possibly after torture, or, in some cases of simple peasants, dressed in the garb of the enemy, and passed off as enemies killed in battle.

This is a tremendous event, and it is such great news knowing the rebels are saying they intend to release others, with at least some cooperation from the Uribe government.