I'm with Adam on this issue - and his analysis is dead on in my opinion - regarding President Uribe pulling the plug on the FARC hostage negotiation by President Chavez of Venezuela. I especially agree with this comment from Adam:
And then, of course, President Chávez’s inexplicable decision yesterday to place a direct phone call to Colombian Army chief Gen. Mario Montoya, above President Uribe’s expressed wishes.
Nonetheless, President Uribe’s decision to call off the talks as a result of that phone call has a whiff of pretext about it. Why would he call off the talks, instead of issuing a stern public warning, unless he was already looking for a reason to bring an end to a process that had clearly escaped his control?
That seems entirely plausible to me. I can understand Uribe's contempt for the FARC as they did kill his father. It is clear to me, however, that his position towards the AUC is much softer. My own position is a plague of equal virulence on both of their houses. Adam is also 100% correct in placing most of the blame on the FARC for creating the problem and their own obdurate stance.
One wonders if Uribe was just going through the motions with this. If so, he's disgraced himself. These are real people being held hostage and as Adam notes, the process desperately needed more time. Unfortunately, Uribe's precipitous termination of the negotiations will only guarantee more time in captivity for the hostages.
Perhaps they can ask Gerry Adams to help them out. I hear his boys know something about the FARC.
Posted by: Kevin | November 23, 2007 at 11:13 PM