Mediation By France
While president of France, Jacques Chirac exerted political pressure on the Uribe administration to persuade him to accept the FARC demands and achieve the humanitarian exchange. Uribe conditioned the offer and suggested that the imprisoned guerrillas would be liberated in France instead of Colombia. This was later discarded by the FARC.
As a candidate Nicolas Sarkozy reassured his intentions to push for the liberation of Ingrid Betancourt and the other hostages held by the FARC.
Read more about this topic: Humanitarian Exchange
Famous quotes containing the word france:
“The anarchy, assassination, and sacrilege by which the Kingdom of France has been disgraced, desolated, and polluted for some years past cannot but have excited the strongest emotions of horror in every virtuous Briton. But within these days our hearts have been pierced by the recital of proceedings in that country more brutal than any recorded in the annals of the world.”
—James Boswell (1740–1795)