UPDATE: I posted this article yesterday - but it has now surfaced that the latest 'FARC Response' was merely a recycled version of the communiqué issued by the FARC after the killing of it's second in command Raul Reyes by the Colombian army in March. Hence, there is no official response to the humanitarian mission to date. This is the second such false 'response' reported in the past week. We the public must be vigilant against false rumours and possible attempts aimed at manipulating the current sensitive situation. I shall leave the article here as an example of such occurrencies and conduct:
El Universal article (03/04/2008) on the 'latest FARC response' (now known to be false) to the humanitarian mission sent by President Sarkozy:
FARC rules out unilateral release of Betancourt
Rodrigo Granda, known as the "Foreign Minister" of the rebel Colombian Revolutionary Armed Forces (FARC) Thursday branded as "inadmissible the request to release former presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt" as a new signal the Colombian government deems a prerequisite to release FARC troops from jail and kick off a likely humanitarian swap.
"It is not admissible to ask us for more signals of peace. After so many incontrovertible demonstrations of our political willingness to find a solution to the conflict, they have responded with infamy and maleficence," said Granda in a letter he wrote jointly with guerrilla commander Jesús Santrich, news agency Agencia de Noticias Nueva Colombia (Anncol) quoted.
The communiqué entitled "Raúl Reyes, the path of life despite death" seemingly refers to the recent offer President Álvaro Uribe made. He conditioned the release of FARC troops and a likely humanitarian swap to a new unilateral hostage release, specifically that of Betancourt, Venezuelan official news agency ABN reported.
In their letter, both Santrich and Granda warned that "only following a swap of prisoners will the people who are held in our camps be released." The communiqué came concomitantly with a medical mission sponsored by the governments of France and Colombia, which is intended to provide assistance to Betancourt, even though the FARC has not confirmed its participation in the operation.
Link to original article:
http://english.eluniversal.com/2008/04/03/en_int_art_farc-rules-out-unila_03A1489599.shtml
Photo thanks to: agirpouringrid.com
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