This press footage shows the liberation by the FARC of Clara Rojas (captured at the same moment as Ingrid Betancourt) and the ex-Senator Consuelo González de Perdomo, who had been held hostage for 6 and 5 years - on the 10th of January 2008. This release was negotiated by President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela (in spite of the resistance of Presidenct Uribe of Colombia) and brought hope that other hostages including Ingrid might also be released in the near future. Clara & Consuelo thank Chavez over the phone for all his help - Clara explains that something must be done for Ingrid and that she has had no news of her for 3 years, when their captors separated them. Then we see them reunited with their families - Consuelo meets her grandchild for the first time and Clara is reunited with her elderly mother... she is eager to be reunited with her young son Emmanuel who was born in captivity and recently found in an orphanage, where the FARC had left him.
Four more hostages were indeed released in January 2008, but following the Colombian government's decision to raid and kill the FARC's second-in-command - Raul Reyes - in a commando ambush in Ecuador (and without first informing the Ecuadorian government). Following the death of Reyes, it was disclosed that the Ecuadorian, Venezualan & French representatives were in negotiations with reyes to liberate a further 19 hostages - including Ingrid Betancourt - this month, March 2008. President Uribe was aware of the forthcoming liberation before having Reyes killed.
Now, those plans have fallen to dust. Reyes was the only contact the International Community had with the FARC, and now that he is dead; they refuse to release any further hostages. Uribe must be encouraged to negotiate for an agreement. The U.S. government's voice is vital and the only one Uribe takes into account.
Ingrid would have been liberated this month... would have been reunited with her family... would have received the medical treatment she so desperately needs for her hepatitis B infection... would have been saved....
Ingrid needs us to do all we can to save her - her two children Mélanie & Lorenzo need our help also. Please do all you can, it's not too late... yet... please help....
Video: europapress.es
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