Two Venezuelan planes have been dispatched to the Colombian jungle to fetch two hostages held by rebels, humanitarian officials said on Thursday.
Irma Alvarez, a spokeswoman for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), told state television in Caracas that the rescue operation is in progress.
The Colombian government has authorized the two Venezuelan planes to pick up former legislator Consuelo Gonzalez and former vice-presidential candidate Clara Rojas, both held for years by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).
The planes were bound for San Jose de Guaviare in southeastern Colombia and will then head to an undisclosed location for the handover, officials from the Venezuelan and Colombian governments said.
To facilitate the handover, the Colombian government has suspended military action in the region, Colombian Defense Minister Juan Manuel Santos said.
The renewed rescue efforts come after Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, who has mediated between the Colombian government and the rebels, said on Wednesday that he had received information from the FARC on the impending release of the two hostages.
In a December statement, the FARC promised to free Gonzalez, Rojas and Rojas' son Emmanuel, born in captivity some three to four years ago, in a good-will gesture to Chavez.
However, the rebels backed down from the promised release in late December after reports emerged that Emmanuel had actually been in a Bogota orphanage. DNA tests later confirmed the authenticity of the report, which led to a failed rescue mission.
Gonzalez was kidnapped in 2001 and Rojas was taken hostage in 2002 alongside her running mate Ingrid Betan court, the FARC's highest profile hostage, who has dual French-Colombian citizenship.
The FARC is holding 46 high-profile hostages, hoping to swap them for about 500 jailed rebels.
Source:Xinhua
|
Comment
Tell A Friend
Print Format
Save Article