On Friday, in Bogota, and in several other capitals, one thousand trees will be planted to commemorate the thousand days of captivity of the Franco-Colombian Ingrid Betancourt whose chances of early release seem increasingly more uncertain.

Yolanda Pulecio stated on Thursday to AFP, "One thousand trees will be planted wordlwide for life and hope at a time when my daughter and Clara Rojas (Dutch: her assistant) are experiencing their thousandth day of imprisonment". She is the mother of Ingrid Betancourt, aged 42, former candidate to the presidential election, from a Colombian Society family, a Politics graduate in Paris, French also from her first marriage to a French diplomat, and held since 23 February 2002, by the armed revolutionary forces of Colombia, (Farc, Marxists).

"We are asking for people to be aware that the hostages have lived through a thousand days of pain, anguish and fear", she added.

On Friday, the support committee for the release of Ingrid Betancourt, the environmental party Vert Oxygène that she leads, and her family, are organising demonstrations in Bogota, in many cities in Colombia, and in several capitals including Paris, Madrid, Brussels, Dublin and Panama City.

For months, the government and Farc have both been claiming that they are in favour of an exchange but constantly run up against the means to do this. As things stand both sides seems disinclined to negotiate but are refusing to bear responsibility for a failure.

In early November, FARC leadership rejected the proposal from the Colombian president Alvaro Uribe, to exchange 50 guerrillas for 59 hostages.

In a press release from the guerrilla leadership, in order to make safe its negotiators, it demanded that two cities in southern Colombia be demilitarised to negotiate directly then proceed with an exchange.

"We are asking both parties to stop and to set terms like the places of negotiation and to proceed with a humanitarian exchange", pleads Ingrid’s mother.

"Alas! For the time being, hopes for a peaceful solution seem very slim. Contrariwise, the Patriot plan that is going ahead in the south of the country, organised with support from the United States, is jeopardising the lives of the hostages", writes the Ingrid support committee in a press release.

"We are asking European governments, the press release continues, to persuade president Uribe to seek solutions other than the one that he is preparing and that will provoke an even more outrageous tragedy for the Colombian people".

However, Alvaro Uribe is sticking to his guns. "We will not accept demilitarisation. In the past, Farc took advantage of demilitarised zones and converted them into arms caches", he stated on Thursday.

"We can’t accept that Farc guerrillas get out of prison and return to crime. It’s generous enough accepting to let them go to a country like France or integrating the rehabilitation process", he added.

"Finally, we can’t release those who have committed atrocities", concluded the Colombian president.

The Betancourt family makes no effort to disguise its anguish, having learned at the end of October, that Ingrid is reputed to have almost died during a hunger strike that she recently undertook.

"We’re asking Farc to prove that the hostages are still alive, even if this is not made public", Ingrid’s mother implores.

Translation French to English by: Miriam Lee
email: traduction@eircom.net