Setback seen in Colombian hostage release efforts
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Efforts at freeing hostages held by Colombian rebels were stalled over the weekend when neighboring Venezuela scrapped plans for talks to be held in Caracas aimed at clinching prisoner exchange.
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VILLAVICENCIO, Colombia  - Colombia accused Marxist rebel leaders on Monday of lying and dragging their feet to delay a Venezuela-brokered deal for the release of three hostages, including a child born in captivity.
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Marxist rebels in Colombia have freed four hostages, three of whom were held captive for well over three years in the jungle. The four released hostages - two men and two women were flown to Neiva, 150 miles
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Colombia's leftist rebels said yesterday they would release three of the dozens of high-profile hostages they are holding as bargaining chips with the Colombian government
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BOGOTA, Colombia  - Colombian President Alvaro   Uribe's U.S.-backed plan to disband right-wing militias has   been hit by charges he is too easy on paramilitaries and that   drug smugglers are posing as fighters to win short jail terms.
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Many families of those kidnapped near the border with Colombia say President Hugo ChÃ¡vez has neglected them in favor of high-profile Colombian victims.
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VILLAVICENCIO, Colombia  - A Venezuelan-sponsored plan to free three hostages held by Colombian rebels was stalled by the guerrillas' failure to reveal their location, and Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said it may unravel if the stalemate drags on.
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BOGOTA, Colombia - Colombiaâs main rebel group on Monday criticized a government proposal to swap jailed guerrillas for kidnapped politicians, soldiers and three American contractors, saying any deal should allow its freed comrades to return to the
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Much of Colombia came to a standstill on Thursday as hundreds of thousands of protesters marched against leftist rebels accused last week of killing 11 provincial lawmakers they were holding hostage.
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A Colombian hostage freed after years in guerrilla captivity returned to Bogota on Monday carrying letters and photographs from fellow kidnap victims left behind in secret jungle camps.
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Venezuela has started a rescue operation in Colombia to secure the release of two hostages held by leftist rebels, an official said on Thursday, after a similar effort led by President Hugo Chavez collapsed last year.
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By Hugh Bronstein BOGOTA, Colombia  - Colombia said on Friday that atop Marxist guerrilla leader may avoid extradition to theUnited States if his rebel group frees 63 hostages, includingthree Americans and one German.
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Secretary of State Colin Powell is hailing a drop in murder and kidnapping rates in Colombia and gains in the counter-narcotics war but says the country may not be meeting congressional standards for improving protection of human rights. If Powell is unable to certify that Colombia has met the requirements, it would trigger a cutback in U.S. assistance to Colombia.
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Leftist Colombian rebels have dragged out efforts at recovering the bodies of 11 hostages killed in June and may be using the safe haven established for the search to regroup and plan attacks, the government said on Friday.
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BOGOTA, Colombia, June 5 -- President ÃÂlvaro Uribe has begun releasing dozens of Marxist rebels from jail in a bid to encourage the country's largest guerrilla group to liberate civilian hostages held in jungle camps, a risky move that has the support of Colombia's European allies.
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VILLAVICENCIO, Colombia  - A delicate mission to free three hostages held by Colombian guerrillas was close to collapse on Monday as the government and rebel leaders accused each other of trying to kill the deal.
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Colombia will allow no more international missions seeking the release of hostages held by leftist rebels after a Venezuela-led plan dissolved in a flurry of accusations last week, the government said on Monday.