Chavez urges rebels to end
struggle
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez
has called on Colombia’s Farc rebels to end their four-decade struggle
and release all their hostages.
Mr. Chavez, whom Colombia has
accused of financing the Farc, said they were "out of step" and their
war was "history".
The Colombian government
expressed surprise, but welcomed the statement.
The rebels are believed to be at
their weakest point in years, following the death of their long-time
leader, Manuel Marulanda, in March.
The Revolutionary Armed Forces
of Colombia (Farc) hold many hostages, including about 40 high-profile
ones they say they want to swap for imprisoned rebels.
At this moment in Latin America,
an armed guerrilla movement is out of place.
Hugo Chavez in his weekly
television and radio programme on Sunday, urged the Farc’s new leader,
Alfonso Cano, to "let all these people go".
"There are old folk, women, sick
people, soldiers, who have been prisoners in the mountain for 10
years," he added.
The Venezuelan president said
ending the rebellion could lead to a peace process between the rebels
and the Colombian government.
"The guerrilla war is history,"
he said. "At this moment in Latin America, an armed guerrilla movement
is out of place."
Colombian Interior minister
Carlos Holguin said the statement from Mr. Chavez, a "great ally" of
the rebels, was "surprising".
"He is a great defender and ally
of the guerrillas, so it is so surprising," he said.
"But it’s great, and I hope Farc
hears him."
BBC Americas editor Emilio San
Pedro says the message represents an about-face for Mr. Chavez, who a
few months ago called on the world to regard the Farc as a legitimate
army rather than a terrorist group.
Our correspondent says Mr. Chavez’ critics will
wonder whether this change is related to allegations by Colombia’s
Alvaro Uribe - who accused Mr. Chavez of giving the rebels $300m.
In March Colombia said it had found documents on a
computer that proved Venezuela funded Farc.
The computer was seized during a raid on a Farc
camp in Ecuador, in which another senior Farc leader, Raul Reyes, was
killed.
Venezuela said any contacts with Farc were solely
made as part of a humanitarian effort to free hostages.
The captives include Franco-Colombian politician
Ingrid Betancourt and three Americans.
Earlier this year Mr. Chavez negotiated the release
of two key hostages, Clara Rojas and Consuelo Gonzalez.
Late last year his official mediation role was
terminated by Colombian President Alvaro Uribe, who said Mr. Chavez
had overstepped his responsibilities.
The Farc is the oldest and largest group among
Colombia’s left-wing rebels - and is one of the world’s richest
guerrilla armies.
It was founded in 1964 when it declared its
intention to use armed struggle to overthrow the government and
install a Marxist regime.
But like most of the paramilitary groups in
Colombia’s forty-year civil conflict, it has become increasingly
involved in the drug trade.
Colombia is known as the "kidnap capital of the
world", with one person a day, down from 10 a day in 2002, being
snatched either for ransom or political bargaining.
