The massive freeing of Farc rebels proposed last week by President Alvaro Uribe is a challenge to the former in order that, in return, Farc free 58 hostages.

“I will call their bluff and see if these bandits are capable of making this gesture in favour of this country by freeing hostages. I await the judicial backing for this action”, Uribe declared.

The same day, the High Commissioner for Peace, Luis Carlos Rostrepo announced that Uribe himself had asked him to seek a legal method to free an indefinite number of rebels and “thereby permit Farc” to free hostages.

These announcements have had various reactions. For example, that of Roy Barreras, mediator for former deputy Edinson Pérez, was declaring among other things that to make Uribe’s proposal viable the judicial solution would be “the temporary suspension of the sentence”.

Archbishop of Tunja, Luis Augusto Castro, President of the Conference of Bishops, stated, from Brazil, that Uribe’s initiative “is good news that brings hope to the families of the hostages”.