[NYTr] Helicopters at ready for Colombia hostage pickup Date: Sat, 29 Dec 2007 19:43:15 -0600 (CST) Via NY Transfer News Collective * All the News that Doesn't Fit AFP - Dec 29, 2007 16:27 http://www.afp.com/english/news/stories/071229162231.xmwslt7s.html Helicopters at ready for Colombia hostage pickup VILLAVICENCIO, Colombia (AFP) - Helicopters were at the ready here Saturday awaiting orders to pick up three hostages, including a small boy, from leftist rebels in a landmark release deep in the Colombian jungle. A team of observers, including representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), was on its way to this city some 100 kilometers (60 miles) southeast of Bogota where they hoped to receive the coordinates for the pickup of the two women and the three-year-old boy. Two helicopters sent by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and bearing ICRC markings were set for "Operation Emmanuel" -- named after the three-year-old boy -- but the time and location of the pickup tentatively set for Saturday remained unclear. "The conditions are optimal," said regional governor Juan Carlos Gonzalez. "The airport is ready to begin operations and all security measures have been taken. "We have good weather and we hope that everything will remain like that." Chavez said Friday the mission was still waiting for the guerrillas to disclose the jungle location where they will release former lawmaker Consuelo Gonzalez de Perdomo, 57; Clara Rojas, 44 and her son, Emmanuel, born to a rebel in captivity. The women were snatched in 2001 and 2002 respectively; Rojas was a top aide to Franco-Colombian presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt, who was seized at the same time and remains in the hands of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia. FARC announced December 18 it would release the three to Chavez or his representative, in what will be the first time in more than five years that the guerilla army will have unilaterally set free so-called "political" hostages. It comes after many months of failed negotiations between FARC and the government of Colombian President Alvaro Uribe to swap about 45 hostages for some 500 FARC members held by the government. Early Saturday three Falcon jets took off from the Colombian border town of Santo Domingo to Caracas to pick up international observers and take them to Villavicencio in the first stage of the delicate handover. The observers include former Argentine president Nestor Kirchner and representatives from France, Switzerland, Brazil, Cuba, Ecuador and Bolivia, as well as US filmmaker Oliver Stone. Marco Aurelio Garcia, an advisor to Brazilian President Luiz Ignacio Lula Da Silva, said Saturday the group would probably not have any contact with the guerillas. "It would be a great risk for them because they are probably being watched by Colombian security forces," he told Radio del Plata in Venezuela. The Russian-made helicopters set for the Chavez-choreographed mission arrived Friday in Villavicencio, but the ICRC representative ruled out launching the mission then, saying it was too dark to fly into the jungle. The handover could take place place anywhere in a 310,000-square-kilometer (120,000-square-mile) wilderness in central and southeastern Colombia, where there are few roads but numerous landing strips used by drug traffickers. Colombia's Civil Defense has made available a 100-strong search and rescue team of indigenous Colombians "who know the jungle very well," said Jorge Diaz, civil defense director for Villavicencio. Security was tight Friday at the airport in Villavicencio as officials there prepared for a crush of international dignitaries, medics and journalists. Meanwhile about 15 members of the hostages' families have travelled to Caracas, where Chavez is expected to deliver Perdomo, Rojas and Emmanuel after they are released. Even if the release takes place, however, Colombian officials said the government would not reauthorize Chavez to act as a mediator between Bogota and the FARC -- a role cut off in November by Uribe after Chavez allegedly broke protocols in talking directly with Colombian military leaders. "The government has been very clear on this subject," said Juis Carlos Restrepo, Colombia's Peace Commissioner. *** AFP - Dec 29, 2007 http://www.afp.com/english/news/stories/071229020530.8qsvmz0g.html Helicopters stand by for Colombia hostage pickup VILLAVICENCIO, Colombia (AFP) - Two Venezuelan helicopters landed in Colombia Friday for a mission to pick up three hostages, including a three-year-old boy, to be freed by Marxist rebels in the jungle. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, who is spearheading the effort, said the helicopters marked with International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) emblems could take off from Villavicencio, in central Colombia, on Saturday. But the time and location of the pickup were still uncertain. Chavez said Friday the mission was still waiting for the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) to disclose the jungle location where they will release former lawmaker Consuelo Gonzalez de Perdomo, 57; Clara Rojas, 44; and Emmanuel, Rojas' three-year-old son, born to a rebel in captivity. The women were snatched in 2001 and 2002 respectively. The mission to pick them up is dubbed "Operation Emmanuel." "We have a little problem, which is that we don't have the exact coordinates of where they are or are going to be," Chavez said earlier in the Venezuelan town of Santo Domingo, where he personally supervised the mission's launch. "The FARC have not gotten the coordinates to us." Colombian and Venezuelan government officials were meeting here with the ICRC to finalize details of the operation, said presidential spokesman Cesar Mauricio Velazquez. The ICRC had ruled out carrying out the mission on Friday, saying it was too dark to fly into the jungle. "We can leave tomorrow (Saturday), but that depends on several factors including the weather," said ICRC Colombian delegate Barbara Hintermann. Chavez said Fridat a FARC patrol escorting the hostages was moving "but the weather is bad and travel is difficult." "I hope there will be good weather tomorrow (Saturday), that we can fill in some small details that are missing and I hope that tomorrow we can complete the operation." He said FARC commander Ivan Marquez had reported US-made military surveillance planes flying over the area. "I hope this does not interfere," he said. "If there were any problem finding the spot, for some military or weather reason, we would be ready to conduct ground operations, but for that we would need permission" from Colombian President Alvaro Uribe, Chavez said. The handover could take place place anywhere in a 310,000-square-kilometer (120,000-square-mile) wilderness in central and eastern Colombia, where there are few roads but numerous landing strips used by drug traffickers. Colombia's Civil Defense has made available a 100-strong search and rescue team of indigenous Colombians "who know the jungle very well," said Jorge Diaz, civil defense director for Villavicencio. Chavez has choreographed an elaborate plan, under the auspices of the ICRC, to pick up the three hostages whom FARC vowed on December 18 to release to him. Security was tight at the airport in Villavicencio, 100 kilometers (62 miles) southeast of Bogota, as officials there prepared for a crush of international dignitaries, medics and journalists. International observers converging on the area include former Argentine president Nestor Kirchner as well as representatives of France, Brazil, Cuba, Bolivia, Ecuador, Switzerland and the ICRC. About 15 members of the hostages' families have travelled to Caracas. A Colombian policeman stands guard near Vanguardia airport's control tower B)AFP - Mauricio Duenas It is the first time in more than five years that the FARC will have unilaterally released so-called "political" hostages. Rojas was the presidential campaign manager of French-Colombian politician Ingrid Betancourt when the two were abducted by FARC in February 2002. Betancourt is not expected to be released this time. She is among some 45 hostages, including three Americans, whom the rebels want to exchange for some 500 FARC members held by the Colombian government. * ================================================================= NY Transfer News Collective * A Service of Blythe Systems Since 1985 - Information for the Rest of Us Our main website: http://www.blythe.org List Archives: http://blythe-systems.com/pipermail/nytr/ Subscribe: http://blythe-systems.com/mailman/listinfo/nytr =================================================================