BOGOTA, August 2 (Reuters) - Colombia's President Alvaro Uribe offered guerrillas on Thursday a safe haven for peace talks if they free hostages, in the latest long-shot bid to break the deadlock over kidnap victims held for years in rebel camps.
Talks between hard-liner Uribe and Latin America's oldest left-wing insurgency are stalled over a rebel demand he allow a demilitarized zone before any talks to free hostages, who include a French-Colombian politician and three Americans.
The offer came after Uribe met with a Colombian teacher (Moncayo) who sparked a surge in sympathy for hostages by trekking across the country to protest over the plight of his soldier son kidnapped by the country's largest rebel group, the FARC, a decade ago.
"If the FARC frees kidnap victims with the help of the international community, then the government will accept a zone for talks for 90 days on reaching peace," Uribe said at a public event where he received cheers and heckles.
Thursday, August 2
Colombia's Uribe makes new offer on hostage plight
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