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| Colombia hostage mission delayed |
| An operation by Venezuelan helicopters to collect three hostages due to be released in Colombia by the Farc rebel group has been delayed
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| UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
, 31-December-2007
9:44:6 AM |
| Venezuelan officials said the group had not provided the co-ordinates for the handover and that there was not enough time to complete the mission on Sunday.
The rebels have promised to release the hostages as a humanitarian gesture to Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.
Mr Chavez said on Saturday that he hoped they would be released by Monday.
"They are still waiting for the details to complete the operation," he told Venezuelan state television.
The three hostages - two Colombian women and a young boy born to one of them in captivity - are among more than 40 high-profile detainees held by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc).
Several hundred hostages are being held by the group overall, some of whom are being held for political leverage but many also for ransom.
International observers
Two military helicopters carrying Red Cross insignia landed in the central Colombian town of Villavicencio on Friday.
On Saturday, an international commission of observers from seven countries, including the American director, Oliver Stone, arrived ready to accompany the aircraft when they pick up the hostages.
"Everything is ready, all we're waiting for are the co-ordinates," said Ramon Rodriguez Chacin, a former Venezuelan minister who is in charge of the operation.
"But it must be understood that the [Farc] patrol accompanying the hostages has to take precautions," he added.
Mr Rodriguez said that once the handover was complete, it was likely that Colombian military operations against the rebels would resume.
"The guerrillas should also expect that and prepare their retreat strategy and take all the security measures they need," he said. "That takes some time."
The hostage mission has also been restricted to daylight hours by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) because of its internal safety procedures.
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