Dispatch from Colombia

Thanks to our correspondent in Colombia for some personal insight into the hostage release:

"The big news here is the release of the 4 Colombian hostages. We watched the release on TV. It is incredible that there are so many hostages held for so long and that the parties concerned are so frozen in place about what to do. It seems that the powers that be are not that interested in negotiations and in changing the status quo. For instance, Betencourt, who you would think would be a sympathetic figure, isn’t because she was with an opposition party. When she went to talk to the guerillas and got taken, the consensus was it was at her own risk. So she depends on her family and international supporters. There are a few hundred others and some have been killed. It is so complicated and long standing. The hostages who were released today had been in the jungle for six years! Imagine living in the jungle for six years. And there are some who have been held much longer. "

Copyright 2008 Kathryn Fallon klaatukafe