Venezuela readies troops, police to receive Colombian hostages

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's government has soldiers and police ready to receive hostages that Colombian rebels have promised to free, an official said Thursday. Special units are waiting for orders from Chavez to receive the Colombian captives, Justice Minister Pedro Carreno told The Associated Press. It remains unclear where or when the release could take place. The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, announced this week that it would hand over three hostages to Chavez, including an aide to former Colombian presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt and the aide's young son. "With our operational units ... we will implement actions to guarantee the security and lives not only of the kidnapped people who are going to be freed, but also of those who are going to turn them over," Carreno told the AP.