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Chavez says he has plans to receive FARC hostages

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said he has plans in place to receive hostages released by Colombian rebels, predicting it will be a "delicate operation."

Chavez said on Friday that security was of the utmost importance in receiving the three hostages the leftist Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) has pledged to free.

"As soon as I arrive back in Caracas, I have some plans worked out to receive them," Chavez said told reporters. "It will be a delicate operation."

He said some groups in Colombia -- both close to and within Colombia's US-allied government -- "are going to try to keep the liberation from being successful, but we will achieve it."

He did not say exactly how soon he expected to return from Cuba, where he attended a regional oil summit on Friday.

The Venezuelan leader was scheduled to travel to Santiago, the second-largest city in Cuba, yesterday.

Venezuela says it has special units of police and soldiers ready to receive the captives.

FARC announced last week it would hand over three hostages to Chavez, including former congresswoman Consuelo Gonzalez; Clara Rojas, an aide to former Colombian presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt; and Rojas' young son -- reportedly born of a relationship between her and a guerrilla fighter.

Chavez was trying to help negotiate a prisoners-for-hostages swap until Colombian President Alvaro Uribe called him off last month, saying the Venezuelan president overstepped his mandate by directly contacting the head of the Colombian army. Chavez has since frozen relations with the US-allied Uribe and accused him of caving to pressure from Washington.

Chavez said on Friday that he was willing to help try to free dozens more hostages, but added: "there is little we can do because that depends on the willingness [of the two sides] and in Colombia above all on the side of the government there is no will -- not even for the humanitarian exchange."
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