Venezuela's Chavez pushes for political solution in Colombia

CARACAS, Venezuela - President Hugo Chavez said Sunday he would try to persuade Colombian guerrillas to lay down their weapons if Colombia's U.S.-backed government allows him to meet the rebels' commander.

Chavez also accused Washington of fomenting Colombia's decades-old armed conflict, saying that unceasing warfare provides "the perfect excuse" to maintain a military presence in Colombia, which has received billions of dollars in military aid from the United States.

"I don't agree with the armed struggle, and that's one of the things I want to discuss with (rebel leader Manuel) Marulanda," Chavez said on his weekly TV program. "This problem doesn't have a military solution, and if it doesn't have a military solution, what other solution is left? The political path."

Hostages reunited with families (Spanish and English)

CNN Video: Watch another video of the hostages' emotional reunion with family (in English).

Helicopters sent to recover hostages held by FARC

This morning two Venezuelan helicopters were dispatched to San José de Guaviare in southeast Colombia to recover hostages Clara Rojas and Consuelo Gonzalez. The hostages will be released somewhere between the communities of San José de Guaviare and El Retorno. Defense Minister Juan Manuel Santos also reported that once the hostages have been released the rescue mission would provide time for the rebels to retreat into the mountainous countryside by waiting one hour before taking off and heading to Venezuela.

Colombian government authorizes hostage rescue operation

According to Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, the coordinates indicating the whereabouts of hostages Clara Rojas (a hostage held by the FARC since 2002 and the mother of three-year-old Emmanuel) and Consuelo Gonzalez. The Colombian government has reportedly agreed to allow the Red Cross to carry out the rescue mission.

This is a crucial moment for these negotiations as any infractions by either party, real or perceived, will most certainly thwart the rescue mission. If the women are recovered and determined to be in good condition, this would signal that the FARC wants to be perceived as a legitimate negotiating partner and possibly that it wishes to pursue a negotiated settlement to the conflict. And while unilateral confidence-building measures like this one are not always reciprocated, they can serve as an important first step in creating the conditions necessary to initiate broader peace negotiations.

Hugo Chavez and his dubious role as hostage negotiator

Last week, the founder and chief of the Colombian Revolutionary Armed Forces (FARC) Pedro Antonio Marín, alias Manuel Marulanda and/or Tirofijo, announced a "general offensive" in a New Year message. He encouraged the guerrilla movement to take advantage of the alleged "crisis faced by the government and the tiredness shown by some military units to work on a general offensive," and he urged his subordinate commanders to "launch armed actions in roads, lanes, jungle, urban centers, villages and garrisons, with no truce for the enemy, as they do it."

In related news, the Colombian government announced on Monday that it would no longer authorize international humanitarian missions such as the one that late December arrived in Villavicencio to witness the failed delivery of three hostages held by the left-wing Colombian Revolutionary Armed Forces (FARC) to President Hugo Chávez. Colombian Minister of the Interior and Justice Carlos Holguín Sardi argued that, following the FARC's failure to meet their promise to release three hostages, "you cannot negotiate with cheaters and liars."

The following day, Colombian High Commissioner for Peace Luis Carlos Restrepo softened the Uribe Administration's position when he said that any future efforts by the international community to support the release of the hostages held by the Colombian Revolutionary Armed Forces (FARC) should be based on "their reliance on the Colombian government, discrete operations, and efficient communication." This is good news because it serves to clarify the previous position that seemed to rule out any possibility of future mediation efforts led by international parties.

Some hardliners argue that Colombia ought to reject offers by "outsiders" to serve as mediators between the Colombian government and the FARC. Distrustful of his motives, some view Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's ongoing mediation efforts as a veiled interventionist strategy aimed at undermining Colombian sovereignty. Unfortunately, such rigid positions are unwise and may even be counterproductive to the negotiation process.

While Chavez may indeed possess ulterior motives, this might be used to break the current impasse. A strong argument can be made that the FARC finds itself in an untenable position, weakened by numerous military setbacks at the hands of the U.S.-backed Colombian armed forces and increasingly poor internal coordination. This last point became more evident in recent weeks as the group was unable to verify the whereabouts and locate Emmanuel, the three-year-old boy that the FARC had agreed to hand over to Chavez as part of a December hostage release. For more coverage of the proposed hostage release, click here.

And while the FARC might have indeed lied to Chavez about the hostage release or tried to "fool the international community" by offering to hand over a hostage that it did not have, something about this explanation fails to be convincing. Adam Isacson of the Center for International Policy posits that rather than trying to pull off an elaborate ruse, the FARC simply lost track of the boy due to its own incompetence.

This incompetence, combined with the reality that they no longer operate freely as they once did throughout much of the Colombian countryside, demonstrates that the insurgency is engaged in a costly and unsustainable predicament. Then again, the movement has been waging war for over 40 years and seems to possess vast reserves of patience and the capacity to wait out its current vulnerability through pursuing a strategy of playing not to lose rather than playing to win.

Assuming that the FARC does perceive that a military victory cannot be attained, it might choose to pursue an alternative approach in the place of a sustained armed conflict. It is therefore possible that the group will give up its weapons and engage in the political process if it could be convinced that doing so were worthwhile. That is precisely why Hugo Chavez plays such an important and beneficial role as the mediator. In fact, he and his leftist allies in the region might actually be the only parties capable of convincing the FARC to cease their armed struggle and instead seek power and influence through the ballot box. While we are still far from reaching this outcome, I am still hopeful that the parties will find a way to move past the current impasse. We shall see if President Chavez can facilitate this process by brokering a hostage release in the coming days and weeks.

Gustavo Moncayo controversy: Grieving father or rebel sympathizer?

Before Gustavo Moncayo became a household name he lived a quiet life in rural Colombia. Every day he would attend Catholic mass and walk just two short blocks to the public high school where he taught social studies. However, since making his “Forest Gump-like trek” across Colombia to draw attention to the “cruelty of kidnapping,” Moncayo has become a fixture of the evening news, has engaged in fiery public debates with President Álvaro Uribe, and has even been personally invited to meet with Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez to discuss ways of resolving the hostage crisis.

This small, wiry man with a salt-and-pepper goatee wears silver chains draped across his shoulders and securely fastened to his wrists to symbolize the suffering of kidnapping victims and their grieving families. Frustrated by the government’s inability and unwillingness to negotiate for the release of his son, held hostage by the FARC for the past 10 years, Moncayo has even offered to exchange his own freedom for that of his son.

Gustavo Moncayo is an outspoken supporter of proposals that would demilitarize two towns in southwest Colombia for talks over the exchange of jailed rebels for more than 50 FARC-held hostages.

Opinion polls in Colombia show broad public support for President Uribe and his hard-line stance against negotiating with the Marxist rebels. Therefore it is not suprising that many people are quick to criticize Moncayo’s audacity to criticize the president and his policies. They seek to delegitimize Moncayo by labeling him as a “traitor” and “rebel sympathizer.” Why, just the other day I was among a large crowd that had gathered around Moncayo’s big white tent and temporary home in the Plaza Bolivar when a neatly dressed, gray-haired man passed through the crowd saying, “They are nothing but guerrillas in those tents! Traitors and guerrillas! You’re all traitors and guerrillas!”

I couldn’t help but question the logic of this outspoken critic. I asked myself, “Why would a father whose son has been held hostage by the guerrillas for the past 10 years be sympathetic of the guerrilla movement?” It defies logic, doesn't it? I also wondered what this gentleman would do if he were in Moncayo’s shoes and it was his son that was held shackled somewhere in middle of the Colombian jungle? Would he just sit back and happily support the president’s unwavering stance against negotiating with the FARC? Or would he also do whatever it took to free his son even if that meant walking from Bogota to...say, Washington D.C.? I would really like to know.

Photograph courtesy of Gustavo Moncayo.

NPR broadcasts story on Gustavo Moncayo

Captured by the FARC ten years ago, Gustavo Moncayo's son is among the hostages being offered up by the rebel group in the protracted negotiations between the Colombian government and Marxist insurgency movement. This past Father's Day, Moncayo left his home in southern Colombia and walked over 600 miles to the nation's capital in the hopes that he might persuade the government to work out a deal with the FARC and secure the release of his son.

Opponents of the prisoner exchange argue that negotiating with the FARC will only encourage the insurgents to capture more hostages in the future. Meanwhile, advocates point out that a prisoner exchange could build trust between the parties and facilitate future peace talks.

On August 21, National Public Radio broadcasted a story on Gustavo Moncayo and his inspiring "Walk for Peace."

Marulanda, this is Chávez speaking--I don't know you or where you might be, but I'm waiting for your signal

And with these words directed towards FARC leader Manuel Marulanda, Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez expressed his desire to serve as an impartial "observer and guarantor" of negotiations between the FARC and Colombian government.

Yesterday during a meeting with family members of FARC-held hostages, Chávez spoke convincingly about the hostages' long-awaited release from captivity as something imminent rather than distant. In doing so he reinvigorated the hope of those in attendance for a successful negotiation and a much anticipated "humanitarian accord" between the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).

"From my heart, I ask [Colombian President] Álvaro Uribe to continue his support of this task. And I also ask that the guerrillas (FARC) give us a response. They will know how [to respond] – through 'other channels' that we have used in the past.”

The Venezuelan leader pointed out that both parties had to be willing to make concessions if they were to achieve the release of hostages. Furthermore, he reiterated his willingness to host the negotiations on Venezuelan territory.

Some argue that Chávez is just the person needed to build a workable trust between the two deeply divided parties. First of all, while his populist views and political rhetoric are not so popular in Washington, they are quite appealing to the FARC, a leftist revolutionary movement. Also, it has been pointed out that Chávez and Uribe seem to have mended their one-time rift and that they have been in "constant contact" over Chavez' possible role as mediator between the FARC and Colombian government.

Analyst Alberto Garrido points out that this recent development reveals a subtle shift in Uribe's hard-line position of refusing to negotiate with the FARC and demonstrates a more nuanced understanding of the need to achieve a negotiated agreement amidst growing national and international pressure.

Amongst those present during yesterday's meeting was Gustavo Moncayo, a humble high school social studies teacher that gained notoriety for his 1200 kilometer "Walk for Peace" across Colombia.

And if the FARC refuses to accept Chavez' offer? Well, then the FARC loses this round and Uribe stashes away yet another victory for the home team--a result that the FARC would absolutely detest. In my opinion, this looks like a very positive step forward in the Colombian peace process.

Photograph courtesy of EFE/El Tiempo

FARC Praises Gustavo Moncayo – Remains Silent on Son

Today the FARC praised Gustavo Moncayo for undertaking his “Walk for Peace” that traversed more than twelve hundred kilometers (745 miles) over a span of 46 days.

The group reiterated the “need and urgency for a humanitarian accord” but did not comment on Moncayo’s son – a soldier of the Colombian armed forces that has been held captive by the FARC since December 1997. “We respectfully send our greetings and admiration [to Moncayo] for his recent accomplishment.”

The FARC insists that President Uribe withdraw the military from Florida and Pradera municipalities of the Valle del Cauca region in southwest Colombia and temporarily create a demilitarized “meeting zone” for a period of 45 days. However, Uribe opposes any withdrawal from Florida and Pradera, an area approximately the size of California and Montana combined, fearful that doing so might allow the group to expand its area of operation.

Furthermore, the FARC rejected Uribe’s recent proposal and called his treatment of Gustavo Moncayo “offensive.” On July 2, Moncayo and Uribe met to discuss the proposed Humanitarian Accord. Moncayo passionately questioned the President, "It's been 10 years, and what have we accomplished? Nothing." He added, "The same arguments by the President and FARC have gotten us nowhere." In response, Uribe vehemently defended his refusal to negotiate with the FARC and some suggest that his biting rebutal lacked consideration for the grieving Moncayo.

The President's proposal stipulated the release of hostages to an international organization and in return the government would created a temporary demilitarized “meeting zone" to discuss a possible peace agreement.

Foreign Minister opposes humanitarian accord

Currently, the FARC wishes to hand over 45 politicians, soldiers, police officers, and U.S. government contractors in exchange for 500 imprisoned guerrillas. To accomplish this exchange of prisoners, the FARC also insists upon the complete withdrawal of government armed forces from two municipalities in the Valle del Cauca region. The Colombian government vehemently rejects this demand recalling the failure of previous efforts to create a demilitarized “meeting zone” that resulted in vast territories being taken over and controlled by guerrillas.

Today, Foreign Minister Fernando Araújo announced that he opposes negotiating a humanitarian accord with the FARC because doing so would be equivalent to giving in to the guerrillas. “I do not support it. The overall interests of the government are more important than those of individuals. The only way to be victorious over the use of kidnapping is to demand that the guerrillas free the hostages without any strings attached.”

Prior to assuming the position of Foreign Minister, Araújo had been held as a prisoner of the FARC for six years. Throughout that period, he claims that he was never in favor of a humanitarian accord and that he has the notes written in his diary to prove it.

The FARC held Araújo captive from 2000 until December 31, 2006 when he was finally able to escape from his captors. And this past March he was assigned the post of Foreign Minister.

Included among the captives held by the FARC and considered part of the controversial humanitarian accord are three U.S. citizens, Marc Gonsalves, Thomas Howes, and Keith Stansell. In 2003, these three men were allegedly conducting drug surveillance in Colombia for the U.S. Department of Defense when their single-engine plane crashed in a remote, mountainous region of southern Colombia.

Photograph courtesy of El Universal / El País

FARC says Uribe’s proposals for prisoner exchange is just another "smoke screen”

Some argue that Gustavo Moncayo's 1200 kilometer "walk for peace" was a massive waste of time and energy. Cynics assert that neither the goverment or the FARC gives a hoot about what this humble high school social studies teacher has to say about negotiating peace in Colombia. On the other hand, supporters point out that Moncayo has broken the silence over the suffering of victims of kidnappings and their families and that he has renewed the hope of millions for a prisioner swap and eventual peace accord. Only time will tell whether his "walk for peace" will produce the desired release of his son, however one thing is certain -- his campaign has breathed new life into the previously stalled chess match (and war of words) between the FARC and President Uribe.

Last week, Colombian President Alvaro Uribe announced that if the FARC were to release all their hostages then the [Colombian] government would be willing to create a demilitarized zone to host peace talks between the FARC and government negotiators.

Today in response to Uribe's proposal, FARC spokesperson Luis Edgar Devia (a.k.a. Raúl Reyes) rejected the announcement by saying that it was just another “smoke screen” and that any prisoner exchange was “independent of an eventual peace process.” Instead, he suggested that “agreeing to a prisoner exchange would open the doors to discussions intended to seek political solutions to the Colombian crisis.”

Uribe also announced last week that if the FARC were to release hostages, he would free more FARC guerrillas from prison in addition to the nearly 200 left-wing guerrillas that were released in June. However, he insisted that the fate of Anayibe Rojas Valerrama (a.k.a. “Sonia”) and Ricardo Ovidio Palmera (a.k.a. Simón Trinidad”) was completely out of his control since these individual were recently extradited to the United States and convicted of narcotrafficking.

Nevertheless, Reyes fired back by saying that any prisoner exchange had to include Simón Trinidad and Sonia and that a demilitarized “meeting zone” would be a good first step in getting the parties’ negotiators to meet and discuss a potential prisoner swap and eventual peace accord.

Millions moved by teacher's seven-week walk for son

By Jeremy McDermott

BOGOTA, August 5 (Scotland of Sunday) - He is the humble teacher who was greeted like a rock star when he walked into Bogota, was courted by the president and Colombia's political elite, and was the inspiration for a two million signature petition. But Gustavo Moncayo still feels he is no closer to his aim of getting his son home.

Moncayo, 55, a social studies teacher from a remote town in the province of Narino by the Ecuadorean border, cannot believe he has become one of the most influential political figures in Colombia. All he wants is to embrace the son he has not seen for 10 years.

His son, Pablo Emilio, a soldier, was captured in December 1997 by the guerrillas of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and kept for a prisoner exchange. The Marxist rebels currently hold 45 politicians, security forces personnel and three US intelligence operatives, who they say will not be freed until hundreds of their comrades in jail are released. Yet the government and the guerrillas have not been able to even agree on how to meet to talk about negotiations.

As the prospects of a prisoner exchange became more and more remote, Moncayo decided he must do something. So on Father's Day, seven weeks ago, he began walking the 600 miles from his home town of Sandona to the capital Bogota, on the way collecting signatures for a petition asking President Alvaro Uribe to conduct a prisoner exchange. As he got closer to the capital the number of people that turned out to cheer him on grew. Mystified, the Colombian media followed his steps and the reaction his progress caused. When, on Wednesday, he began his last stretch to the historic centre of the capital, Plaza Bolivar, he was mobbed as tens of thousands of people spilled out on the streets to greet him and touch him.

Moncayo has done some-thing that innumerable politicians that champion the idea of a prisoner exchange have been unable to do: touch the people of this violence-wracked nation. Throughout his journey he has broken down in tears as he spoke about his boy, who has now spent almost a third of his life in captivity.

"Moncayo is a hero who has opened the eyes of Colombians to the suffering of the parents of those kidnapped," said Yolanda Pulecio, the mother of the most famous hostage the FARC hold, Ingrid Betancourt. Betancourt is a glamorous former presidential candidate who also holds French citizenship and whose release has become a foreign policy priority for President Nicolas Sarkozy of France.

Eduardo Alvarez, 44, a bank clerk, gripped his own son, Juan, as he offered his opinion. "Moncayo has no political agenda, he is just a father with a broken heart who misses his son and wants him free again," he said. "That is why he has provoked such a reaction."

In Bogota, President Uribe went to Moncayo's protest headquarters, a tent in the Plaza Bolivar. He sought to use the support Moncayo had gathered and turn it against the guerrillas. But he did not convince Moncayo, who has decided to continue his protest until his son is released. "Sadly our children are still in the jungle," Moncayo said.

Photo by "Camino de la Paz"

Colombia's Uribe makes new offer on hostage plight

By Patrick Markey

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.

Gustavo Moncayo arrives to Bogota

Last night, I unpacked my suitcases and decided to take a walk around my new neighborhood. After making a quick stop at a nearby corner store, I headed down to the Plaza de Bolívar where the Colombian Congress and Presidential Palace are located. I had heard that Gustavo Moncayo (see previous post) had finally arrived to the plaza earlier in the day and that he was planning on "camping out" there until the government agreed to negotiate the release of his son held captive by the FARC.

Click here for more coverage from El Tiempo (click on the photo -- links include video, audio, audiovisual gallery, and a map of Moncayo's cross-country trek).

In the Plaza de Bolívar I met several interesting people. I had the opportunity to talk with a bright young man named Juan Carlos who had joined Gustavo Moncayo's "walk for peace" in honor of his sister, Mary Luz Lopez, who was "disappeared" in 2002. He told me about how she had traveled to Barranquilla in northern Colombia and there she was abducted by several unknown individuals. We discussed the "walk for peace" and how it gave renewed hope to millions of Colombians for an end to the conflict. We exchanged thoughts on the current peace process and how the "walk for peace" might potentially contribute to achieving a negotiated humanitarian exchange and the release of hostages.

As we ended our conversation, Juan Carlos gave me his phone number and encouraged me to speak with his mother if I was interested in learning more about abductions and the struggles of Colombians affected by the 40-year old conflict.

Photo from "Camino de la Paz"

One father's quest for peace

Today I was reading about Gustavo Moncayo, the father of a military officer captured by the FARC and held hostage by the guerrillas for the past 10 years. Accompanied by his daughter Tatiana, Moncayo has been walking across Colombia since mid-June in the hope of encouraging the government to reach a "humanitarian agreement" with the FARC. The agreement would imply the release of FARC prisoners in exchange for hostages held by the guerrillas. Here you can follow Gustavo's journey (in Spanish) and see pictures of his quest for peace.

The following story is from Gustavo's blog:

"Yesterday as we arrived to Chicoral, a man handed me a white dove. I took it into my hands and then I said a few words. The strange thing is that when I opened my hands to let it fly away, it just sat there without moving. I didn't want to move or bother the bird, but it eventually perched on my outstretched index finger. I gave the dove to Yuri to care for it. If I am not mistaken, a little girl ended up with it.

We did have a few problems upon arriving to Chicoral because there weren't places for us to sleep. Thanks to God and to the kindness of the Colombian people, a six-year old girl came out of nowhere and suggested that I stay in her house, in her room, and in her bed. It was there that I was reminded of how I used to dress Pablo Emilio and watch him sleep. I am feeling a deep pain in my body and the urge to cry.

I had better conclude by saying that we are close to Espinal and tomorrow we leave for Flandes. Step by step we will reach our goal: Freedom." (July 23)

The following story comes from Shadows of War by Carolyn Nordstom and is about an anonymous poem entitled "True Peace" that was found taped to a wall in London in 2001, the day after a bomb exploded outside the BBC building and tensions were escalating in Northern Ireland.

"There once was a King who offered a prize to the artist who would paint the best picture of peace. Many artists tried. The King looked at all the pictures, but there were only two he really liked and he had to choose between them.

One picture was a calm lake. The lake was a perfect mirror, for peaceful towering mountains were all around it. Overhead was a blue sky with fluffy white clouds. All who saw this picture thought it was a perfect picture of peace.

The other picture had mountains too. But they were rugged and bare. Above was an angry sky from which rain fell, and in which lighting played. Down the side of the mountain tumbled a foaming waterfall. This did not look peaceful at all. But when the King looked, he saw behind the waterfall a tiny bush growing in a crack in the rock. In the bush a mother bird had built her nest. There, in the midst of the rush of angry water, sat the mother bird on her nest.

The King chose the second picture as the winner. "Because," explained the King, "peace does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble, or hard-work. Peace means to be in the midst of all those things and still be calm in your heart. That is the real meaning of peace."

This story reminds me of Gustavo Moncayo, the dove that refused to fly away, and the six-year old girl who offered to give up her bed to a complete stranger. It causes me to reflect on "peace" and how it is not spontaneously achieved at the moment of negotiating an end to hostilities, but is instead slowly cultivated through the simple acts of individuals working to create something positive in the midst of all the "noise" and "trouble." I am encouraged because despite finding themselves in the midst of a decades-long war, many brave and committed Colombian people like Gustavo Moncayo are working hard to build peace and a better future for their children.

I will conclude with this excerpt from Shadows of War:

Peace is not the resting pulse of humanity, reestablished the moment a peace accord comes into being. It is the pulse of humanity- but it does not rest: it is wild, erratic, fragile, sweet, and too often elusive. Peace is not merely the absence of formal war. It is a child free from the hungers of the twenty-first century; a woman free from fear of assault from either friend or foe; a man who no longer has to look with confusion at where his leg was just a moment before he unwittingly stepped on a land mine.

Peace does not wait for the end of war to make its debut. It takes its greatest definition on the front lines. As one war orphan living on the street told me during the years of war in Angola: I carry a little bit of peace in my heart wherever I go, and I take it out at night and look at it. Peace starts in the trader walking across the front lines to carry critical necessities to a town under siege; it starts in the teacher holding classes outside the bombed-out schoolhouse even though teachers are being targeted for attack; it starts in the songs and paintings of artists who envision ways to end the war; it starts in the belief for a better tomorrow amidst an unbearable today.

Photos from Camino de la Paz