Colombia’s Uribe changes tack on release of police and military hostages held by rebels

September 17th, 2009 Uribe: Colombia's spy agency can be eliminatedBOGOTA — President Alvaro Uribe says he is in favor of eliminating Colombia's scandal-plagued domestic intelligence agency and transferring its functions to the police. Washington's top ally in South America has previously said the DAS could be restructured, but Thursday's comments were the first time he has publicly backed eliminating the agency.

September 7th, 2009 Colombia releases new videos of 10 FARC hostagesBOGOTA — Authorities released "proof-of-life" videos Monday showing 10 soldiers and police officers held captive by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, for more than a decade. The footage shows the four military men and six officers sitting individually in front of a camouflage cloth on a makeshift hammock, restrained by chains padlocked around their necks.

September 1st, 2009 Colombia's Uribe recovering from swine fluBOGOTA — Colombian President Alvaro Uribe is still recovering from the swine flu, and now his defense minister is showing some symptoms of the illness, officials said Monday. Uribe, 57, was diagnosed with swine flu when he returned from Friday's summit of South American leaders and his government urged other leaders who attended the meeting in Bariloche, Argentina, to check if they have been infected.

September 1st, 2009 Colombia's lower House Oks re-election billBOGOTA — Colombia's lower House has approved a bill calling for a referendum on whether to change the constitution to allow President Alvaro Uribe to run for a third term. Lawmakers have voted 85-5 with 76 abstentions in favor of the referendum.

August 18th, 2009 Videos of rebel-held hostages released in ColombiaBOGOTA — Videos of nine hostages held by Colombian rebels were turned over to their families Monday as proof they remain alive. Videos of six Colombian police officers and three soldiers were obtained by Sen.

August 12th, 2009 BOGOTA - Conservative Colombian President Alvaro Uribe has said that he would seek a third term in office if a referendum on presidential re-elections was approved. In a meeting with members of the ruling party Tuesday, Uribe said he was keen to remain in power if a referendum allowing him a third presidential term was held.

August 6th, 2009 Uribe wins some, loses some on whirlwind tourBUENOS AIRES, Argentina — Colombian President Alvaro Uribe has said almost nothing in public about his meetings with South American presidents this week in response to fears that the U.S. military could become too powerful on the continent if given long-term leases on Colombian bases.

July 9th, 2009 Uribe to Colombian rebels: free all hostagesBOGOTA — Colombian President Alvaro Uribe says he will allow an opposition senator to accompany the release of hostages held by FARC rebels. But his office set a stiff condition: the leftist insurgents must release all 24 police and soldiers they are known to hold.

July 1st, 2009 Limbo for Colombia family seeking hostage releaseBOGOTA — A year after Colombian military agents disguised as international aid workers helicoptered Ingrid Betancourt and three U.S. military contractors to freedom, an offer by their former leftist rebel captors to unilaterally free two hostages is in limbo.

March 17th, 2009 BOGOTA - Colombia's former presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt, who was held captive by rebels for more than six years before her release in July last year, is seeking divorce from her husband Juan Carlos Lecompte, a media report said. Betancourt, who has a dual French-Colombian citizenship, will begin divorce proceedings from her husband on the basis of their defacto separation during her more than six years of captivity under the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), EFE reported Monday.

February 9th, 2009 BOGOTA - The leftist rebels of Colombia who have unilaterally freed six captives last week have now softened their terms to release other prominent hostages, EFE news agency reported Tuesday. In their messages handed over to opposition Senator Piedad Cordoba during last week's hostage releases, the leaders of Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) said they were not ready to release other 22 top captives without a 'humanitarian exchange' that includes hundreds of jailed guerrillas.

February 7th, 2009 BOGOTA - Colombian President Alvaro Uribe has said the leftist guerrillas of the country are 'confusing' people by 'shedding blood but talking of peace', EFE news agency reported Sunday. 'Let's not get distracted now.

February 1st, 2009 VILLAVICENCIO - Colombia's Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) guerrilla group has released three police officers and a soldier it had been holding hostage, EFE reported Monday. The four security forces members, who were kidnapped by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) in 2007, were handed over to the mission led by opposition Senator Piedad Cordoba, activist and writer Ivan Cepeda, a spokesman for the non-governmental organization Colombianos por la Paz said.

January 30th, 2009 BOGOTA - Colombia's largest leftist rebel group will free from its captivity six hostages, including two politicians and security personnel, EFE reported. The hostages will be released in three stages, Colombia's Senator Piedad Cordoba said, adding that the four security personnel would be freed Sunday, while former governor Alan Jara and former lawmaker Sigifredo Lopez would be handed over Monday and Wednesday, respectively.

January 13th, 2009 BOGOTA - Two Colombian rebels have turned themselves in to the police along with two hostages they were guarding, in apparent response to government offers of rewards for turning themselves in, the authorities said. Two members of the leftist Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) identified with the aliases 'Ernesto' and 'David' Tuesday fled a camp between the villages of Cubarral and Vistahermosa, in the central Colombian province of Meta.