Colombian church hopes for prisoner exchange despite recent violence

Published: 2006-11-13

BOGOTA, Colombia (CNS) -- Church leaders have been hoping for a prisoner exchange to free dozens of hostages held by guerrillas despite Colombian President Alvaro Uribe's order to free the hostages by force. Uribe had been in tentative conversations with members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, known by its Spanish acronym as FARC, but shifted policies after a car bomb exploded Oct. 19 in a Bogota military university. The government claimed it has proof that guerrillas were responsible for the attack, which killed two people. The guerrillas have denied carrying out the bombing and called on the government to continue the prisoner-exchange talks. Many Colombians hoped a prisoner exchange would lead to formal negotiations toward ending the nation's 40-year war, which kills thousands every year.

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