Colombian President Alvaro Uribe said here on Monday he has ordered the country's armed forces a unilateral cease-fire that will allow the release of three hostages held by Colombia's Revolutionary Armed Forces (FARC).
In a speech to the press, Uribe rejected the FARC's statement that the military operations impede the release of the three hostages.
Uribe said the FARC lied when they stated the army intensified military operations to frustrate the release of Clara Rojas, her son Emmanuel and former legislator Consuelo Gonzalez.
He said he had authorized the choppers which will receive the three hostages to take off from Vanguardia airport at Villavicencio city without knowing where they will fly.
Uribe said he had met in Villavicencio with the international delegates of seven countries that will fly in the helicopters, including former Argentine President Nestor Kirchner. Venezuelan Foreign Minister Nicolas Maduro participated in the meeting.
Villavicencio is the capital of Mata department, 76 kms southeast of Bogota.
Uribe said Colombia's armed forces leave open a passage in the eastern jungle so that the choppers can pick up the three hostages in coordination with the FARC.
He said the FARC does not want to hand over the three hostages because they do not have Clara Rojas' son Emmanuel.
He said the government believes the boy is in the Colombian Family Wellbeing Institute, although with another name and that his identity needs to be verified with a genetic test.
Uribe said he ordered Colombia's peace commissioner Luis CarlosRestrepo not to travel in the choppers to avoid being kidnapped by the FARC at the time of picking up the three hostages.
Source: Xinhua
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