President Alvaro Uribe declared his New Year’s intention to rescue all hostages held by illegal groups throughout Colombia in an interview Wednesday with the National Police Station.
During the interview, Uribe stated “the FARC terrorists are confessed drug traffickers; ELN terrorists are shameful drug traffickers … living scared to death of being recognized as such and so do anything to pretend otherwise, when we know that they traffic in drugs in Catatumbo in the Pacific, in the Serrania de San Lucas and in many other parts of Colombia.”
Uribe stressed that “today, December 30, it is good to reflect that: while the people and the government of Colombia have given full guarantees for the release of the hostages, for the demobilization and reintegration of members of terrorist groups, these terrorist groups, such as the FARC … have denied the minimum guarantees to the Colombian people.”
Likewise, the president called on the Security Forces to continue to work against all criminal actions of illegal groups -“I also invite you to continue working to improve security, where there is security there is employment, there is prosperity,” reported newspaper El Espectador.
During the interview, President Uribe also thanked the international community for their messages of solidarity and their rejection of the kidnapping and murder of the Governor of Caqueta, Luis Francisco Cuellar.