Sep 18, 2005 / 22:00 pm
A spokesman for the Bishops’ Conference of Colombia called for confidentiality in the proposals to achieve the liberation of hostages after the Armed Revolutionary Forces of Colombia (FARC) rejected a proposal to enter into dialogue with the government and the Catholic Church.
The secretary of the Reconciliation Commission of the Catholic Church, Father Dario Echeverria, said, “The FARC must be consulted beforehand so that these proposals do not die,” and he argued that “it must be done confidentially, in absolute secrecy so that the proposals can be hammered out and their workability studied and so that we don’t create false hopes and disillusion, especially among family members.”
In response to the FARC’s rejection to enter into dialogue, the Colombian government announced it would attempt to rescue several Colombian personalities, police officers, soldiers, and three US citizens currently being held hostage by the rebel group.