Senator Piedad Cordoba announced via her Twitter page on Tuesday that the FARC have accepted and signed the security protocol needed to move forward with the long-delayed hostage release operation, which she expects to take place Saturday.
In the letter Cordoba received Tuesday morning, the FARC announced that the delays in releasing hostages Pablo Emilio Moncayo and Josue Daniel Calvo has been caused by intense military operations in the area where the release is planned.
The FARC also said that despite the heavy bombing in the area, they will commence the release operations as soon as possible.
According to Cordoba, everything is ready now for the Red Cross to communicate with Brazil and begin the operation.
The announcement follows news that the Brazilian helicopters, which had been positioned on the Colombian border since last week, returned to their base following a delay in the commencement of the hostage release operation.
Cordoba said Monday that until the protocol is signed the release would not be able to go ahead.
Both of the hostages set to be released are Colombian soldiers. Moncayo has been held by the FARC since 1997, while Calvo has been held since April 2009.