[news] Three Articles on the Release of FARC Prisoners
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Sat Jan 12 21:17:05 PST 2008
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
(Sigue original en español)
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
Comunicado de las FARC Sobre la liberación de Clara y Consuelo
1. Honrando la palabra y el compromiso, las Fuerzas Armadas
Revolucionarias de Colombia FARC, entregan hoy al Presidente de la
República Bolivariana de Venezuela, Hugo Chávez, a la senadora Piedad
Córdoba y a la comunidad internacional, a Clara Rojas y Consuelo González
de Perdomo. Si el niño Emmanuel no está en brazos de su madre, es porque
el Presidente Uribe Vélez lo tiene secuestrado en Bogotá. Que lo libere
para que podamos celebrar todos, este suceso.
2. Esta liberación humanitaria y unilateral, se da a pesar de los palos
atravesados en la rueda por el propio Presidente Uribe, enemigo jurado del
canje de prisioneros y enemigo de la paz con justicia social, siguiendo
los lineamientos de Washington. Por encima de las intensas operaciones
bélicas del Plan Patriota, de la incautación de las pruebas de
supervivencia, de la captura de los correos humanitarios que las portaban,
del secuestro del pequeño Emmanuel en Bogotá, y de la absurda pretensión
de excluir de la facilitación a la comisión humanitaria internacional,
hemos dado este primer paso esperanzador que invita a pensar en la
posibilidad de la paz en Colombia.
3. Los esfuerzos deben dirigirse ahora a lograr el despeje militar de
Pradera y Florida como escenario del diálogo gobierno-FARC para el acuerdo
y la materialización del canje que haga posible la liberación de todos los
prisioneros en poder de las fuerzas contendientes, de los cautivos en la
montaña y de los guerrilleros presos en las cárceles del régimen,
incluidos Sonia y Simón. Nuestra voluntad es incuestionable. Sin olvidar
que en el pasado reciente liberamos unilateralmente a 304 militares y
policías, capturados en combate, esta entrega que hoy hacemos de Clara y
Consuelo, reafirma nuestra disposición.
4. En realidad, somos una fuerza beligerante a la espera de ser reconocida
por los gobiernos del mundo. Este paso allanaría el tortuoso camino del
pueblo de Colombia en busca de la paz. Nuestra lucha es legítima. Se
sustenta en el derecho universal que asiste a todos los pueblos del mundo
a alzarse contra la opresión. Nuestro padre, el Libertador Simón Bolívar
nos enseña que, cuando el poder es opresor la virtud tiene derecho a
anonadarlo, y que el hombre virtuoso se levanta contra la autoridad
opresora e inaguantable para sustituirla por otra respetada y amable. Y
este es, precisamente, el empeño de las FARC.
5. Presidente Chávez, muchas gracias. El mundo no duda que su inmenso
corazón, palpita sinceramente, por la paz de Colombia y por la redención
de los pueblos. Agradecemos también a los gobiernos y personalidades del
mundo que lo han rodeado sin reserva en este noble esfuerzo. Y sobre todo,
gracias al bravo pueblo de Venezuela por su apoyo y hermandad. A los
familiares de los prisioneros y a los amigos del canje humanitario nuestro
llamado a persistir. Lograremos el canje.
Secretariado del Estado Mayor Central de las FARC
Montañas de Colombia, enero 10 de 2008
Chavez asks to clear Colombia's rebels from terrorist list
[http://news.xinhuanet.com][1]
CARACAS, Jan. 11 (Xinhua) -- Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez Friday asked
the international community to stop classifying Colombia's rebels as
terrorists, a call rejected by the Colombian government.
Addressing the national legislative assembly, Chavez said Colombia, Latin
American and European countries should clear Colombian rebel groups from
their terrorist lists and grant them political status.
After successfully negotiated the release of two female hostages held by
the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), Chavez argued for the
groups' status, saying the FARC and the National Liberation Army (ELN)
"are not terrorist groups."
"They are real armies that hold a space in Colombia," he said.
It is necessary to continue working at different levels with the Colombian
government to withdraw the rebels from the terrorist list, Chavez said.
Chavez said the FARC and ELN were put on the terrorist lists of some
countries because of pressure from Washington.
Chavez said he experienced intense emotions on Thursday during the hostage
release by the FARC, which chose to release former legislator Consuelo
Gonzalez and former vice-presidential candidate Clara de Rojas to
Venezuela.
Meanwhile, Colombia rejected Chavez's call, describing it as "a totally
unusual and disproportionate request."
"The (Colombian) government cannot accept this kind of request, the
condition (of terrorists) is not just a name, it is due to the deeds they
committed," said Colombia's Interior and Justice Minister Carlos Holguin.
Holguin said FARC was included in the world's terrorist list for the
violent deeds they conducted and not for Colombian President Alvaro
Uribe's choice.
Some Colombian officials consider the request as an interference in
Colombia's internal affairs. "It is an interference in (Colombia's)
internal conflict... there is no way we can accept it," said Colombia's
former defense minister Martha Ramirez.
Colombia's opposition also turned down Chavez's call, but said the two
countries' relations will not be affected.
"We cannot allow these declarations to affect the good historical
relations between Colombia and Venezuela," said Rafael Pardo from
Colombia's opposition the Liberal Party.
------------------------------------------------------
Colombian hostage crisis lingers on despite freeing of two women
[http://news.xinhuanet.com][1]
CARACAS, Jan. 10 (Xinhua) -- Two women hostages were released by
Colombia's FARC rebels and arrived in Venezuela on Thursday after more
than six years of ordeal in the Colombian jungle.
The event was viewed as a major breakthrough in the long-running hostage
crisis. However, the crisis is expected to linger on as over 40
high-profile hostages were still under FARC control.
The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), established in 1964,
has got control of large areas in Colombian countryside in fight against
the government forces and started seizing hostages 10 years ago.
Clara Rojas and Consuelo Gonzalez, who were released Thursday, were among
some 700 hostages held by the FARC, most of whom were soldiers and police.
FARC had proposed to exchange a group of some 45 hostages--including
French-Colombian politician Ingrid Betancourt and three U.S. nationals,
with 500 rebels jailed by the Colombian government.
The Colombian government refused the "prisoner swap" proposal, saying it
would simply encourage the guerrillas to kidnap more and undermine the
morale of the security forces that sacrifice so many lives to fight and
capture the FARC rebels.
Instead, it proposed in August to create a safe-zone for a period of 90
days in which FARC and government delegates could meet on the issue.
As the proposal fell short of FARC demand of a "demilitarized-zone," the
two sides did not carry out any direct negotiations but have relied on the
mediation of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez since then.
In November, the Colombian government officially halted Chavez in his
mediation effort, saying he had broken rules by contacting Colombia's
military officials on the issue.
Chavez continued talks with the FARC rebels and announced in late December
that the rebel group agreed to handover to him three hostages: former
Colombian congress women Consuelo Gonzalez, Betancourt's aide Clara Rojas
and her three-year-old son Emmanuel.
The release attempt aborted on Dec. 31 as the Colombian government and
FARC accused each other of not keeping previous promises.
FARC said the Colombian military was still staging operations against it
in the promised "security zone" while Colombian President Alvaro Uribe
said the handover failed because FARC no longer had Emmanuel and the boy
was actually living in a foster home in Bogota.
Analysts said the failed attempt revealed the deep-rooted distrust between
the Colombian government and the FARC rebels as well as Chavez's limited
influence on the issue.
Following Thursday's successful release, international pressure again
mounted on President Uribe, who reiterated his wish to have direct talks
with the FARC rebels.
Colombian hostage crisis lingers on despite freeing of two womenHowever,
the fate of the rest renowned hostages is still hard to tell since it
takes time for the hard-line president to make concessions and find a
middle ground with the rebels.
[1]: http://news.xinhuanet.com (http://news.xinhuanet.com)
URL: http://mostlywater.org/farc_communique_release_prisoners
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