Colombia Reports

French President Nicolas Sarkozy is willing to negotiate directly with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) about releasing 500 FARC soldiers in exchange for 39 high profile hostages, currently held by the leftist rebels, says former hostage Luis Eladio Pérez. The French president proposes the negotiations to take place on the island of Martinique or in French Guyana, says the former hostage. Sarkozy would also be willing to take the FARC off Europe's list of terrorist groups and even politically recognize them as a belligerent group. Some FARC members would be allowed political refuge in France. Pérez, who laid the basis of the plan, says Colombian president Álvaro Uribe has accepted the plan. According to Argentinian newspaper El Clarín, the FARC also has accepted certain parts of the proposal already. The role of the current negotiators, Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez and Colombian opposition Senator Piedad Córdoba is unclear. El Clarín says Pérez will travel to Caracas this Sunday already to discuss the plan with the Venezuelan government.