[NYTr] Uribe, Colombian Rebels, and France's Sarkozy, Appreciate Chavez Mediation Date: Thu, 30 Aug 2007 23:55:40 -0500 (CDT) Via NY Transfer News Collective * All the News that Doesn't Fit excerpted from VIO Venezuela Daily News Roundup - Aug 30, 2007 [President Chavez was invited to visit Colombian President Alvaro Uribe tomorrow to discuss the humanitarian hostage-for-prisoner swap which he volunteered to mediate, the Associated Press reports. The task is difficult, given the longstanding struggle between military, paramilitary, and guerrilla forces. The guerrilla group FARC rejected a first offer by Chavez, refusing to carry out the handover within Venezuela, but both sides respect Chavez and his role in the talks. French President Sarkozy also supports the mediation effort by Chavez, according to Reuters, as French-Colombian politician Ingrid Betancourt is among the hostages being held by the FARC. El Universal reports that the Venezuelan and Colombian presidents will also discuss other bilateral issues tomorrow during their meeting, including trade, agriculture, and energy. -VIO] AP via The Washington Post -Aug 29, 2007 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/29/AR2007082901375.html Chavez Tries Role As Colombian Mediator By Toby Muse and Ian James The Associated Press BOGOTA, Colombia -- Venezuela's Hugo Chavez is taking on a risky role as a mediator in Colombia's hostage standoff, stepping squarely into his neighbor's civil conflict and provoking optimism among the families of those long held captive by rebels. At the invitation of President Alvaro Uribe, Chavez comes to Colombia on Friday to discuss how he might facilitate an exchange of imprisoned rebels for hostages. "I hope we can make it so these people return safe and sound to their homes and that this humanitarian agreement comes through," the Venezuelan president said last week in Caracas during a meeting with the grateful families of the hostages. But Colombia's civil conflict is complex, and Chavez got a rude awakening when the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, rejected his first concrete proposal _ an offer of Venezuela as the site for the swap. Chavez unabashedly targets the U.S. government and his detractors in countries from Mexico to Spain with incendiary rhetoric, but has seldom involved himself so directly with the internal affairs of another nation. He has long sought to maintain cordial relations with the U.S.-allied Uribe despite their ideological differences. If he succeeds in Colombia, he could expand his influence and improve his image. On the surface, the deal seems easy: Both the government and the rebels have voiced support in principle for swapping hundreds of imprisoned FARC rebels in Colombian prisons for about 45 hostages, including three U.S. defense contractors and the French-Colombian politician Ingrid Betancourt. But the sides have been bickering over details for years. The latest sticking point is the demand by the FARC for a 45-day demilitarization of a 310 square-mile zone in southwestern Colombia. The group says it needs the municipalities of Florida and Pradera cleared of troops to ensure the safety of the hostages and its fighters during the handover. Uribe has refused any territorial concessions, saying the last time Colombia provided a demilitarized zone, leftist guerrillas gained strength and built airstrips to ship cocaine. Chavez offered Venezuela as an alternative, but the FARC refused, saying it would be happy to hold talks in Venezuela but the handover must occur in Colombia. "We will keep asking for the demilitarization of Pradera and Florida and we will ask that President Chavez, given his political weight, will help achieve this demilitarized zone," the FARC spokesman Raul Reyes told the Argentine newspaper Clarin. Another FARC demand is that the exchange include two rebels now serving U.S. prison terms; they would have to be pardoned by President Bush for that to happen. Less discussed is what to do with freed guerrillas. The FARC insists they be allowed to return to their 43-year-old insurgency. Uribe's government insists they must live outside Colombia or promise not to return to crime or rebellion. Despite the obstacles, the families of the captives are hopeful. "I am optimistic that Chavez will advance this process, with the respect he has within the rebels and across Latin America," said Yolanda Pulecio, the mother of Betancourt, who recently marked her 2000th day in captivity. What may prove key is how much the FARC is prepared to do for Chavez. They profess an ideological affinity _ the FARC calls itself a "Bolivarian" guerrilla force, just as Chavez has named his socialist movement after independence hero Simon Bolivar. "The guerrillas of the FARC that I met see in Venezuela's President Chavez their ideological leader," said Colombia's foreign minister, Fernando Araujo, who was kidnapped by the FARC and held for six years before escaping last December. "They are constantly studying Chavez's biography, they watch documentaries about Chavez on television, there is a sense of excitement among guerrillas when they hear Chavez speaking on the radio." Chavez predicted his opponents will try to falsely portray him as a collaborator by saying, "Look, Chavez immediately called (FARC leader Manuel) Marulanda on the black phone he has." "That doesn't matter to me. What you want is to be useful. I hope we can achieve an agreement for a humanitarian exchange," he said. Chavez called on both sides to be flexible, urging Uribe and Marulanda to "facilitate our work." He said he hopes "each signal may be one more step in freeing up the game and that we don't close ourselves off in stances that have already led many other attempts at facilitation to fail." *** Reuters - August 30, 2007 http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSL3082983120070830 Sarkozy calls Chavez for help on Colombia hostages PARIS - French President Nicolas Sarkozy has called left-wing Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez to back his offer to try to help secure the release of hostages held by rebels in Colombia, including a French-Colombian politician. Chavez has offered to act as an intermediary between Colombian guerrillas still fighting a 40-year conflict and the administration of conservative President Alvaro Uribe who has led a U.S.-backed military crackdown on the rebels. The FARC, or Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, has held hundreds of police, soldiers and politicians for years, including French-Colombian politician Ingrid Betancourt, seized in 2002, and three Americans kidnapped while on a counter-narcotics mission the year after. Sarkozy has made securing Betancourt's release a priority. "The president took the initiative yesterday to call his Venezuelan counterpart, President Hugo Chavez," Sarkozy's spokesman David Martinon told a news conference. "The president assured President Chavez of his full support and of his interest in the initiative proposed by President Chavez and of his will to accompany his efforts, in agreement with Colombian President Alvaro Uribe," he added. Uribe has fostered an image as a hard-nosed leader who has openly confronted the guerrilla groups and negotiated the surrender of right-wing paramilitary death squads in a campaign to reduce Colombia's violence. The FARC want Uribe to demilitarize an area in southern Colombia the size of New York City to help talks over swapping key hostages for jailed rebels. He has released some guerrillas in a good-will gesture, but refuses to withdraw troops under the rebels' conditions. U.S. officials have charged that Chavez, a self-styled socialist revolutionary, has openly aided FARC rebels, but they have not presented evidence to support the charges. At Sarkozy's request, Uribe released a top FARC commander in June in an attempt to broker a deal on the hostages. Families are pressing Uribe to seek a humanitarian agreement and stop rescues by force. Martinon said Sarkozy and Chavez had agreed to remain in touch, adding that the French president would call his Colombian counterpart on Thursday afternoon. *** el Universal - Aug 29, 2007 http://english.eluniversal.com/2007/08/29/en_pol_art_uribe,-chavez-make-a_29A965717.shtml Uribe, ChC!vez make arrangements for swap Colombian President Clvaro Uribe and his Venezuelan counterpart Hugo ChC!vez will discuss next Friday in BogotC! not only the swap of hostages for imprisoned guerrilla members, but also a variety of items in the bilateral agenda, reported Colombian Minister of Foreign Affairs Fernando AraC:jo. According to the minister, the agenda is still to be completed. However, the rulers are expected to capitalize on their meeting to deal with trade, agriculture, energy and development on the common border, DPA quoted. ChC!vez is to arrive on Friday in BogotC!. He will meet with Uribe at Casa de NariC1o, the presidential head offices. However, it is not clear if the visit will be limited to that day or will be extended until Saturday. AraC:jo said that in principle, the visit will be restricted to Friday. However, he noted, the term "can change at any time." Interest in Colombia is mainly focused on a potential humanitarian exchange of 45 hostages held by the Colombian Revolutionary Armed Forces (FARC) for almost 500 imprisoned rebels. Uribe appointed opposition Senator Piedad CC3rdoba as "middle-woman" to come to terms with FARC. Right after her designation, CC3rdoba headed for Caracas to ask for President ChC!vez' cooperation. The ruler agreed to help. ChC!vez received presumably last weekend a "signal" he requested from FARC about the potential swap of hostages for imprisoned guerrilla members, reported BogotC!'s daily newspaper El Tiempo. "Trustworthy Venezuelan diplomatic agents" told the newspaper that President ChC!vez received a message from FARC. However, the ruler is to keep silent and will not release the content to the public. First he will disclose it to Uribe during their meeting in BogotC!. Nevertheless, Senator CC3rdoba told daily newspaper El Universal that the news circulating in the Venezuelan and Colombian press on the guerrilla requirements "are completely untrue." "What is going on over there is lie," said the senator during a telephone conversation. While the alleged FARC reply is still a secret, last Sunday Buenos Aires daily newspaper El ClarC-n released an interview with Luis Edgar Devia, alias "RaC:l Reyes", FARC international speaker. For some sectors, it was the reply awaited. The Venezuelan head of state offered Venezuela as the venue for the talks and even for the swap, but Reyes dismissed any deal outside of Colombia. "I would like to thank President ChC!vez for such token, such generosity, and for such solidarity with Colombia, the prisoners' relatives and FARC," said Reyes. * ================================================================= .NY Transfer News Collective * A Service of Blythe Systems . Since 1985 - Information for the Rest of Us . .339 Lafayette St., New York, NY 10012 http://www.blythe.org . List Archives: https://blythe-systems.com/pipermail/nytr/ . Subscribe: https://blythe-systems.com/mailman/listinfo/nytr =================================================================