Colombia’s largest rebel group FARC Sunday sent out a statement wherein they reiterate their willingness to release two hostages and ask for guarantees from the government that the liberation will proceed without incidents.
The rebels responded to a concession by the government, which allows opposition Senator Piedad Cordoba to act as a mediator and abandons the demand that all hostages must be released at once. Because of the government’s previous conditions, the FARC put on hold the release of soldiers Pablo Emilio Moncayo and Jose Daniel Calvo and the surrender of the remains of army mayor Julian Ernesto Guevara, who died in FARC captivity.
According to the FARC, the release of the two hostages shows their willingness to exchange “prisoners of war” and to seek a political solution for Colombia’s violent 45-year old conflict.