[NYTr] In Another Abrupt About-Face, Colombia's Uribe Wants "Meeting Zone" to Talk to FARC
 
Date: Fri, 7 Dec 2007 18:32:17 -0600 (CST)

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Prensa Latina, Havana
http://www.plenglish.com

Colombian Government Proposes Meeting Zone

Bogota, Dec 7 (Prensa Latina) Colombian President Alvaro Uribe on
Friday proposed creating a meeting zone to facilitate an exchange of
hostages by the Colombia Revolutionary Armed Forces (FARC) and
guerrillas now imprisoned by the government.

The initiative was a surprise since even until yesterday Uribe kept
insisting he would not remove soldiers from a meeting zone for a
humanitarian exchange any place Colombia, as FARC had insisted.

However, his proposal today establishes an area of 60 square miles
without population or any army or police establishments, and with
international observers.

Uribe said the idea came from the Catholic Church, and announced a 100
million dollar fund to reward guerrillas who give up their weapons or
deliver people kept by FARC to the Colombian authorities.

The president did not mention two conditions, which were added by
Defense Minister Juan Manuel Santos. One was a 30-day time limit on
the zone, and the other is FARC's authorization for the International
Red Cross to check the prisoners state of health.

This proposal provoked diverse reactions in Colombia, one of which was
the comment by some politicians that on the one hand the government
proposes an exchange, and on the other it offers a reward for those who
release prisoners without any kind of security.

rma ccs tac rc  PL-41
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