FARC “lack credibility”: European Parliament
Colombia´s far left guerrilla group the FARC have been slammed as “lacking credibility” by European Parliament President Martin Schulz for their last-minute decision to halt Thursday´s planned hostage release before all captives were set free.
The FARC last month announced they were to resume the practice of kidnapping police and armed forces personnel, something all sides have condemned as incompatible with the peace process underway in Havana, Cuba.
On Thursday, the terrorist group were set to free the latest victims of their campaign but pulled the plug before releasing 19 year old soldier Josué Álvarez Meneses, blaming the interference of the media.
Colombia awaits Álvarez Menesis´ expected release today, as the Red Cross and the controversial Colombians for Peace work with the FARC to co-ordinate the young man´s return to freedom.
Piedad Córdoba the former congresswomen banned for her supposed links to the FARC, and leading member of Colombians for Peace, claims the release of the captives shows the FARC´s willingness to negotiate with the government.
Córdoba, accused of working with the Venezuelan government to provide shelter for the terrorists´ top brass, misses the point, however that the FARC will gain no support from within the country for kidnapping and then days later releasing their victims.
Perhaps an ill-informed international audience might fall for the trick, but most Colombians have grown weary of the FARC´s media tactics.
In Havana itself, the fifth round of the peace talks have finished with both sides reporting progress.
However, there has been no public indication of an agreement even on the first item of the agenda, and the public is loosing patience in the FARC.
Colombia Politics prays for better news soon from Cuba. Hope remains but there is little of the expectation that gripped the nation last year.
Peace processes are notoriously arduous of course, with setbacks to be expected, but Martin Schluz is right to claim that the credibility of the FARC is on the line.
