Colombian rebels release proof-of-life video of hostage lawmaker

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Colombian rebels released a proof-of-life video Saturday of a 44-year-old regional lawmaker who was kidnapped six years ago in the western city of Cali. The video of Sigifredo Lopez was delivered to a commission that includes the Roman Catholic Church, Cali's mayor and the public ombudsman's office, according to Lopez's wife, Patricia Nieto. It is the first proof-of-life documentation of a hostage that the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, has provided since February, when the group released four Colombian politicians with the help of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. "He calls for the kidnapped not to be forgotten and reiterates that it's necessary to keep working to secure a prisoner swap," Nieto told The Associated Press. The FARC wants President Alvaro Uribe to demilitarize a New York City-size swath of southwestern Colombia to facilitate talks that could lead to the release of all its hostages, including three US military contractors seized in February 2003 and Ingrid Betancourt, a dual French-Colombian citizen who was running for president when rebels kidnapped her in 2002.