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Kidnapped lawmakers in Colombia plead for talks

Twelve kidnapped lawmakers pleaded with Colombian President Alvaro Uribe to jumpstart stalled talks with their leftist rebel captors in a video released on Friday by the insurgents.

The legislators were among about 60 politicians, soldiers and police -- including three US defense contractors -- held by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), Latin America's oldest and best-armed guerrilla movement.

"We've waited five painful years for the government and ... FARC to show their political and historical backbone and reach an agreement to set us free," former state legislator Edinson Perez said in the video. He held up his palm to the camera, scribbled with the words "Until when?"

The video, the first proof of life of the lawmakers in seven months, was viewed on Friday by weeping family members in the same state legislature where their loved ones were abducted five years ago by a commando rebel unit disguised as soldiers.

The hostages were shown repeating calls for Uribe to concede to rebel demands for an 800km2 safe haven near Cali, Colombia's third largest city, to conduct talks aimed at negotiating the exchange of the hostages for hundreds of jailed rebels.

After the release of the video, Defense Minister Juan Manuel Santos repeated the government's refusal to grant the request, saying: "the government had explained over and over such a proposal was unacceptable."

Despite government backing, rebels have chafed at a proposal by Spain, France and Switzerland for a much smaller demilitarized zone for talks.
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