Jan. 10 (Bloomberg) — After six years of captivity in the
jungle camps of Colombian rebels, two hostages flew to freedom
in Caracas today, released in a deal brokered by Venezuelan
President Hugo Chavez.
Former Colombian vice-presidential candidate Clara Rojas
and ex-congresswoman Consuelo Gonzales de Perdomo were reunited
with family members after arriving from Guaviare, in southern
Colombia, where the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia let
them go. The group demanded the pair be released in Venezuela
and not to Colombian authorities.
“Venezuela will continue to open paths toward peace in
Colombia, Chavez said in comments broadcast by Venezuelan
state television.
The successful release may help Chavez save face after a
previous mission unraveled last month before television cameras
from around the world. By the end of the day, the hostages and
their families met with Chavez at the Presidential Palace,
greeted by a color guard and military band.
Video of the release earlier showed the two women
emotionally thanking Chavez by satellite phone as Red Cross
officials signed papers presented by gun-wielding, camouflaged
guerrillas in a jungle clearing. The rebels appeared friendly
and shook hands and waved as they disappeared into the jungle.
The female guerrillas kissed their former captives goodbye.
Observers
Chavezs first attempt to rescue the hostages last month
fizzled after Colombian President Alvaro Uribe revealed the
guerrillas didnt have a child theyd promised to set free as
part of the deal. Uribe said Emmanuel, a boy born in captivity
to Rojas about three years ago, had been let go in 2005 and is
living in Bogota with foster parents.
The group of international observers today was much smaller
than in December. Then, Chavez invited journalists and delegates
from a half dozen countries who spent days holed up at a
Colombian airport waiting for the mission to set off. Among them
were former Argentine President Nestor Kirchner and U.S. film
maker Oliver Stone.
Colombias Foreign Minister Fernando Araujo said Jan. 7 the
government wouldnt tolerate the presence of international
humanitarian groups that enhanced the credibility of the
guerrillas while casting Uribe in an unfavorable light.
Family members met them at the Caracas airport before
leaving to spend private time together. Rojass mother, 76,
supported by a walker, was tearful as she embraced her daughter.
Gonzaless daughters gave their mother flowers as she stepped
down from the airplane and introduced her to the granddaughter
she has never met.
`Embarrassment
The quick release has been portrayed in the Colombian media
as an attempt by the FARC to rebuild its image and to relieve
Chavez from the public humiliation the rebels caused him.
“This was trying to compensate for the tremendous failure
of the show that was carried out and the embarrassment of the
Emmanuel deception, said Michael Shifter, a director at the
Inter-American Dialogue in Washington, D.C. “Both Chavez and
the FARC wanted to recover from that.
Chavez said he will maintain contact with the rebel group,
know as the FARC, in a bid to free more of its captives.
The U.S. welcomes the release of the hostages, State
Department spokesman Tom Casey told reporters in Washington.
“They should have never been taken hostage in the first
place, Casey said. “And were glad to see that theyve been
released.
Military Operations
Colombia suspended military operations in the area where
the two women were released, Colombian Defense Minister Juan
Manuel Santos said today in televised comments.
The FARC began in 1964, when Manuel Marulanda and 48 rebels
were attacked by thousands of troops in the jungle hideout and
has since battled 11 administrations. The group turned a poorly
equipped group of peasants fighting for survival and land reform
into a uniformed army of about 17,000 fighters armed with the
modern weapons, financed by drug funds and ransom payments.
“Hopefully, now that they are free, the focus can turn to
less famous captives, said Rupert Stebbings, head of
international sales at Interbolsa SA, Colombias biggest
brokerage.
Casey said the U.S. will continue to work with the Colombian
government to push FARC to release all its hostages, including
three Americans.
The released hostages were part of a group of 45 people,
including former presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt, a
French-Colombian, and three U.S. contractors, being held by the
guerrillas. There are an estimated 700 other hostages that the
FARC has kidnapped for ransom to raise money for its more than
four-decade fight against the government.
Sarkozy
“France welcomes the liberation of the two hostages,
French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who has sought Betancourts
release, told reporters in Paris. “It proves that things are
moving, and that the mobilization is yielding first results.
Rojas, 44, was kidnapped in 2002 along with French-
Colombian candidate Betancourt while campaigning against Uribe.
Gonzales, 57, has been a hostage since 2001.
Millions of Colombians protested in August after the
guerrillas murdered 11 hostage lawmakers just weeks after Uribe
freed 150 jailed guerrillas in the failed hope the FARC would
move ahead with a swap of a group of 500 jailed rebels for the
45 hostages.
To contact the reporter on this story:
Matthew Walter in Caracas at
