Colombian President Alvaro Uribe agreed on Saturday to rebel demands that they be allowed to free hostages one at a time rather than all at once, a reversal in government policy that could speed up releases.
The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) is holding 24 soldiers and police, some for as long as 12 years. Uribe previously insisted the guerrillas free all the hostages at one time, a condition FARC rejected.
The change in government position could set the stage for the release of two soldiers FARC had offered to free in April. The father of Pablo Moncayo, one of the two soldiers, has led a campaign for the freedom of kidnap victims, wrapping himself in chains and walking throughout Colombia.
Uribe has designated opposition Senator Piedad Cordoba, the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Roman Catholic Church to participate in the hand-over of hostages.
“This should be done in a short time, so that the torture does not continue,” the government said in a statement after Uribe met the families of the kidnap victims.
Cordoba, who has helped negotiate past hostage releases, said the move by Uribe could set the stage for a new round of handovers to start in the days ahead.
The change in policy also comes as the president’s supporters try to amend the constitution to allow him to run for a third term next year.
Uribe, whose father was killed in a 1983 FARC kidnapping attempt, is seen as a hero to many for his US-backed crackdown on the rebels, who are widely despised for their practice of taking hostages for ransom and political leverage.
‘IN A DIFFERENT PLACE’: The envoy first visited Shanghai, where he attended a Chinese basketball playoff match, and is to meet top officials in Beijing tomorrow US Secretary of State Antony Blinken yesterday arrived in China on his second visit in a year as the US ramps up pressure on its rival over its support for Russia while also seeking to manage tensions with Beijing. The US diplomat tomorrow is to meet China’s top brass in Beijing, where he is also expected to plead for restraint as Taiwan inaugurates president-elect William Lai (賴清德), and to raise US concerns on Chinese trade practices. However, Blinken is also seeking to stabilize ties, with tensions between the world’s two largest economies easing since his previous visit in June last year. At the
Nearly half of China’s major cities are suffering “moderate to severe” levels of subsidence, putting millions of people at risk of flooding, especially as sea levels rise, according to a study of nationwide satellite data released yesterday. The authors of the paper, published by the journal Science, found that 45 percent of China’s urban land was sinking faster than 3mm per year, with 16 percent at more than 10mm per year, driven not only by declining water tables, but also the sheer weight of the built environment. With China’s urban population already in excess of 900 million people, “even a small portion
UNSETTLING IMAGES: The scene took place in front of TV crews covering the Trump trial, with a CNN anchor calling it an ‘emotional and unbelievably disturbing moment’ A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former US president Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said yesterday. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) said the man was declared dead by staff at an area hospital. The man was in Collect Pond Park at about 1:30pm on Friday when he took out pamphlets espousing conspiracy theories, tossed them around, then doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire, officials and witnesses said. A large number of police officers were nearby when it happened. Some officers and bystanders rushed
Beijing is continuing to commit genocide and crimes against humanity against Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in its western Xinjiang province, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a report published on Monday, ahead of his planned visit to China this week. The State Department’s annual human rights report, which documents abuses recorded all over the world during the previous calendar year, repeated language from previous years on the treatment of Muslims in Xinjiang, but the publication raises the issue ahead of delicate talks, including on the war in Ukraine and global trade, between the top U.S. diplomat and Chinese