Colombian President Alvaro Uribe accused Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) rebels of killing 11 state lawmakers in cold blood, appealing to Colombians on live television after the guerrillas said the hostages died in the crossfire of a military attack.
Uribe denied on Thursday that a rescue attempt was made for the hostages. He said there were no such military operations on June 18, the date the FARC said the attack occurred, in zones where the hostages are thought to have been held.
The news highlights the precarious state of the more than 3,000 people held in captivity by various Colombian armed factions, including three US defense contractors seized four years ago by the hemisphere's oldest and most potent insurgency.
PHOTO: AFP
"The FARC wants to blame these deaths on the armed forces," said Uribe, whose father was killed by the rebel band two decades ago. "The FARC wants to hide this crime against humanity that it committed."
The FARC statement, e-mailed to news organizations, said 11 of the 12 former provincial deputies were killed in the crossfire after an "unidentified military group" attacked a rebel camp. The statement said the 12th lawmaker, Sigifredo Lopez, was not with the others at the time.
There was no way to independently confirm the claim.
With the announcements, hopes dimmed for a prisoner swap with leftist rebels. Earlier this month Uribe agreed to free the highest ranking FARC rebel held in prison and 150 FARC guerrillas in a "gesture of good faith."
But rebels rejected the move, demanding the temporary demilitarization of a zone near Cali for a complete swap of all FARC prisoners for the hostages, something Uribe has ruled out.
Jo Rosano, the mother of kidnapped US contractor Marc Gonsalves, expressed exasperation with Uribe.
"I don't trust that man one bit," she told reporters by telephone from Connecticut. "If we're close to any type of humanitarian exchange, it's sabotaged."
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