Uribe’s gambit

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With the Colombian government’s release this week of leftist rebel leader Rodrigo Granda at the urging of French President Nicolas Sarkozy, many are waiting to see whether the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, will reciprocate. Among its hostages are former presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt, who holds dual French-Colombian citizenship. The expectation in Colombia is that Sarkozy had an assurance from FARC intermediaries that Granda’s release would spring Betancourt. Colombian President Alvaro Uribe has said there was no strict quid pro quo involved in the release of Granda, who is being given his freedom along with 190 other rebel prisoners.

FARC also holds three U.S. defense contractor employees, Betancourt’s campaign manager, Clara Rojas and Rojas’ 3-year old child, who was born in captivity. But others say Uribe’s gesture already has gained him points. At Sarkozy’s prodding, the G8 summit of world leaders hailed the prisoner release as “audacious and brave.” Uribe has long campaigned for European financial assistance for Colombia’s anti-drug war, a goal that is taking on more urgency now as the United States begins to wind down Plan Colombia. Large amounts of money are needed to help pay the costs of reinserting thousands of demobilized paramilitary soldiers and leftist rebels back into Colombian society and to fund alternative crop programs for coca farmers. The G8 statement offers Uribe hope that that aid might now be forthcoming.

Granda held a press conference Friday reiterating that he might act as intermediary in a hostage release negotiation, but said he first needed permission from the FARC command. “An exchange is imperative but I won’t perform any miracles,” he told families of the hostages. “Don’t get your hopes up. You have to be patient. “He also said he had nothing to do with the kidnapping and death of Cecilia Cubas, the daughter of a former president of Paraguay. That country wants to question Granda in connection with her death.

Posted by Chris Kraul and Jenny Carolina Gonzalez in Bogota