Bogota - Colombian President Alvaro Uribe was booed on
Thursday by a crowd demanding changes in his approach to attaining
peace in the South American country.
But Uribe defended his hardline stance against left-wing rebel
groups in front of the hostile crowd in the capital Bogota, saying he
would not give in to the rebels' demands for a demilitarized zone in
parts of the country to promote dialogue.
'I will not give a square kilometre to criminals. This country was
demilitarized for many years, which is why the guerrillas and the
paramilitaries took it,' Uribe said in a speech on the city's Bolivar
Square.
Uribe's speech came after he met for more than two hours with
Gustavo Moncayo, the father of a soldier kidnapped nine years ago by
the largest left-wing rebel group, Revolutionary Armed Forces of
Colombia (FARC).
Moncayo had walked some 1,000 kilometres across the country for 46
days to promote an exchange of rebels for hostages held by FARC. He
arrived in Bogota Wednesday and set up a tent just off the square.
Uribe said he was willing to free FARC rebels held in Colombian
prisons if the leftist group frees all the kidnapped. Only once that
happened, 'with the participation of the international community, the
government accepts a meeting area for 90 days to agree on peace with
FARC.'
Moncayo said it was up to Uribe and FARC to agree on a way
forward.
'The president has made two proposals, but it is not up to me to
accept them. I am just a mediating element. Those proposals have to
be explained to the other party, and let's see what they reply,'
Moncayo said.
FARC have been fighting the government in Colombia for more than
40 years. They hold, among others, a group of more than 50
politicians and military personnel - including former presidential
candidate Ingrid Betancourt.
Efforts to arrange an exchange have failed as Uribe has refused to
meet the rebels' demand to demilitarize two towns in south-western
Colombia for negotiations.
© 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur 
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