The FARC appear to have dropped their demand that the Colombian
government agree to a demilitarized zone before discussions on a
possible humanitarian exchange take place, opposition
senator Piedad Córdoba said Wednesday.
The
opposition senator said that in the last two letters she received from
guerrilla leader Alfonso Cano, the humanitarian exchange of 22 FARC
hostages for 500 imprisoned guerrillas received five mentions, while
a condition to demilitarize a zone is left unmentioned.
The FARC have consistently demanded the government withdraw its troops from an area east of
Cali as a necessary precursor for exchange talks to take place. The government
rejected that idea and said the FARC would use the demilitarized zone for
strategic gains.
Córdoba talked to Prosecutor General Mario
Iguarán, who she says supports the idea of a humanitarian exchange.
Iguarán would be willing to explore the legal possibilities to make the
release of guerrillas possible.
The FARC is suspected of holding
hundreds of people hostage. Twenty-two of them, all members of the security
forces, are part of a group the FARC wants to exchange for approximately 500
guerrillas held in Colombia and the United States.
The Colombian government opposes a humanitarian deal and demands an unconditional release of FARC hostages.