Posted on 11/30/2007 1:49:11 AM PST by HAL9000
via machine translation -
Bogota present evidence of life of Ingrid Betancourt and three Americans
HOSTAGES. The Colombian government has made public Friday evidence-videos, photographs and letters showing that 16 hostages of the Colombian guerrilla, whose Franco-Colombienne Ingrid Betancourt and three Americans were alive.
A video that was broadcast without the soundtrack by television Colombian Ingrid Betancourt demonstrated in extreme thinness, and chained hands crossed, head down and apparently quite tired.
Ingrid Betancourt who was in pants and a blue shirt, remained silent. She has very long hair tied up on the shoulder. The hostage, kidnapped on February 23, 2002 by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc-Marxist), seems to be in the jungle, in a region very hot.
The Colombian High Commissioner for Peace Luis Carlos Restrepo announced that since the presidency of the existence of evidence of life, also referred to a letter from Ingrid Betancourt addressed to her mother Yolanda Pulecio. This is the first proof of life Franco-Colombienne detained since a video in August 2003.
Images from October 24
The three Americans taken hostage appeared in better health and they can be seen holding a long speech.
These images of the 4 hostages were taken on October 24, said Restrepo, without specifying which elements allowed to confirm that date.
The Colombian High Commissioner assured that the Americans referrals in their video messages to their families. There is also, "said Restrepo, a letter from one of them, Marc Gonsalves, addressed to one of the leaders of the FARC, "Mono Jojoy".
Marc Gonsalves, Thomas Howe and Keith Stannsen, Friends of the State Department, were captured in February 2003 after the Farc had shot down the aircraft on which they were on a mission drugs. Their latest evidence of life was a video of September 2003.
"During a military operation against the Colombian army bases urban Farc in Bogota, three people who were in possession of evidence of life of a group of hostages Farc were caught," said the high commissioner .
Photographs of the hostages have also been found by the police with the video during the arrest of three rebels, "said Restrepo, indicating that it was difficult to date some of them who might have been taken there more than a year.
The army, he said, also holds evidence of life of police officers, politicians and Colombian military held by the Farc.
In all likelihood, the three guerrillas captured wanted to turn over evidence of life at Senator Piedad Cordoba, whose mediation was abruptly halted last week at the same time as that of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez by his Colombian counterpart Alvaro Uribe.
In order to exchange
According to the intelligence services Colombian guerrillas of the Farc had intended to call evidence of life in some of the 45 hostages they hold to redeem 500 of their imprisoned before the referendum on Sunday in Venezuela.
Mr. Restrepo announced that copies of the records would be sent to french and American governments.
Paris reacted immediately, arguing that the evidence of life of Ingrid Betancourt was a "big news" in a statement by the spokesman of the presidency.
The head of the French diplomacy Bernard Kouchner was "pleased" Friday evidence of life. "It is now more necessary than ever to intensify efforts towards a humanitarian solution to the release of all hostages" held in Colombia, "said Kouchner.
Similarly the family did not hide his emotion. The mother of Ingrid Betancourt, Yolanda Pulecio and her sister Astrid Betancourt, said they were "very moved" after seeing these images.
Any idea how Sarkozy will react? France’s enemies have been dealt a different hand now.
Betancourt: Paris will "redouble their efforts"
NICE (France) - The dissemination of evidence of life of the hostage franco-colombienne Ingrid Betancourt "will encourage us to redouble our efforts to secure his release," said the president Friday french Nicolas Sarkozy before a Franco-Italian summit in Nice (southeast).
It declared itself "delighted" and reiterated his commitment to freeing the hostage franco-colombienne: "I always said, it will not fall Ingrid Betancourt."
"We know she is alive, we need to fight hard to secure his release and the end of this ordeal," he added.
The Prime Minister Francois Fillon, also present at Nice, also felt that this showed that "the efforts that we made have helped to make things happen."
"There is no doubt that if France had not moved there would be no such evidence today," said Fillon.
If the French Foreign Legion's version of a special forces op takes back the captives and kills the terrorists, I may rethink my disdain for France. But I still rely on past history; if the Germans get frisky again Paris will go undefended, as usual!
can this be put in front page news please?
From Fox:
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,314062,00.html
Colombia Seizes Video of Rebel-Held Hostages, Including 3 U.S. Defense Contractors
from Fox article:
Among the other evidence recovered by the army were a series of letters apparently written by the hostages, said Restrepo. One undated letter was from Howes to his wife, and another, dated Nov. 26, 2006, was his will, said the government. Another note was from Gonsalves to the military commander of the FARC, known as “Mono Jojoy”, dated Oct. 23, 2007, and Betancourt wrote a letter to her mother, dated Oct. 24, 2007.
BIG news
Thank heavens for that.
NPR did a bit on this the other day.
http://www.npr.org/blogs/talk/2007/11/a_hostage_situation_1.html
It’s well done and I encourage people to listen to it.
NPR? I don’t listen to or read anything they do.
Ditto. Another broadcast propaganda arm of the RAT party!
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