Relations with Colombia and negotiations with the FARC remain a constant, explosive, and complex issue

Caracas Daily Journal (Vincent Bevins): Relations with Colombia and negotiations with the FARC remain a constant, explosive, and complex issue for the Venezuelan government of Hugo Chávez, and are characterized by a complex web of shared and opposing goals.

The government of Colombia, through Ambassador to Venezuela Fernando Marín Valencia, announced that it is awaiting the Venezuelan government to contact them with the details regarding the coordinates of the expected liberation of three Colombian ex-congresspersons.He added that the Colombian government "are facilitators and want this process to be successful for everyone."

Colombian president Alvaro Uribe, for his part, announced that he would not respond to Chávez' "verbal attacks, " which came on the heels of accusations by Chávez that Uribe was not interested in the success of the negotiations, and had indeed sabotaged them militarily.
These claims had been supported by some of the already-released captives and some of the relatives of current hostages.

The relatives of the three congresspersons arrived in Caracas this week, met with Foreign Minister Nicolás Maduro and have expressed optimism in the negotiations and expect to see their loved ones soon.

The Colombian government, through its Foreign Minister, Fernando Araújo, announced that the FARC is seeing a surge in desertions. He says that just in January, the data for two days indicated more than 130 guerrillas that have deserted their posts." These announcements seek to indicate that the organization of 30,000 is "debilitated," or perhaps is losing legitimacy among its members.

This might reenforce the Colombian government's claim that they are terrorists, which Chávez disputes. And in the wake of the protests on Monday in Bogotá and around the world to protest FARC violence, human rights activists in Colombia are organizing an event for March 6, a tribute to victims of paramilitary violence and state criminal violence.

The marches on Monday refused to renounce any violence but FARC violence, while paramilitary groups, often with links to the state, are responsible for a list of human rights violations and massacres.

And back in Venezuela, the Legislative Assembly of Maracaibo has officially asked authorities to investigate mayor Gian Cuomo DiMartino for supposed links to the Colombian rebel organizations. Some purport a video and a CD show he supplied them, but he and Chávez have vehemently denied these claims.Citizens of the two countries may take comfort in recognizing that the Pope himself has involved himself in helping to resolve this mess. He announced Wednesday that he is praying for the release of the hostages, after the mother of high-profile captive Ingrid Betancourt went to Rome to ask him for a regime change in Colombia.