The operation to pick up the first of the two hostages held by the FARC will begin on Saturday, said mediator Piedad Cordoba on Tuesday.
Cordoba said that the FARC has agreed to all security protocols, and that she has met with the authorities and the Red Cross to coordinate the final details.
Colombia’s armed forces have begun the suspension of police and military operations in the area where the FARC are expected to carry out the release.
The Brazilian helicopters, which had returned to their base just over the border in Brazil due to delays to the operation, will now fly to the airport in Villavicencio on Friday, ready to begin the operation on Saturday morning.
Senator Cordoba will travel to San Gabriel in Brazil in order to return to Villavicencio with the helicopters.
Cordoba says she will give regular updates on the release operation on her Twitter page throughout the day.
FARC had previously announced that the delays to the operation were due to the on-going intense military activity in the area, which has now been suspended.
Responding to the media furor around the operation, Peace Commissioner Frank Pearl said Tuesday that “this is not a circus – we are talking about people who have lost eleven years of their life tied to a tree, so let’s be respectful.”
The release of the hostages was promised in April last year already.
