Cables: Colombia ' s Uribe reached out to FARC
Alvaro Uribe
Cables: Colombia ' s Uribe reached out to FARC
 Former President Alvaro Uribe sought secret talks during his second term with Colombia's main leftist rebel group in Switzerland  and the guerrillas even reached out to the U.S. Embassy  according to leaked U.S. diplomatic cables.
 Uribe left office in August after badly crippling the leftist Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia  or FARC  with a withering military campaign and refused steadfastly to accept their demand for a demilitarized zone as a condition for talks.
 Uribe always maintained he would not engage in serious dialogue with the FARC until the rebels stop kidnapping civilians  free all their captives -- they currently hold 22 soldiers and police -- and halt their practice of laying land mines that kill indiscriminately.
 Reacting via Twitter  Uribe said his government "accepted many international initiatives" to open dialogue with the rebels. He promised to later detail them on his personal website.
 In the cables  in particular one dated Feb. 6 that discussed a three-hour meeting Uribe had with Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg  the hard-line former Colombian president is described as skeptical about contacts with the FARC leading to a negotiated peace as long as the rebels have refuge in neighboring Venezuela and "a fountain of wealth" from cocaine trafficking.
 Colombia's current president  Juan Manuel Santos  was defense minister for most of Uribe's second four-year term.
 Santos has made it clear that his attitude toward peace talks remains the same as Uribe's.
 Since January of 2008  it has freed a total of 14 hostages in what Uribe complained were "publicity-seeking stunts."
Cables: Colombia ' s [TGT] reached out to FARC
 Former President Alvaro Uribe sought secret talks during [TGT] second term with Colombia's main leftist rebel group in Switzerland  and the guerrillas even reached out to the U.S. Embassy  according to leaked U.S. diplomatic cables.
 [TGT] left office in August after badly crippling the leftist Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia  or FARC  with a withering military campaign and refused steadfastly to accept their demand for a demilitarized zone as a condition for talks.
 [TGT] always maintained [TGT] would not engage in serious dialogue with the FARC until the rebels stop kidnapping civilians  free all their captives -- they currently hold 22 soldiers and police -- and halt their practice of laying land mines that kill indiscriminately.
 Reacting via Twitter  [TGT] said [TGT] government "accepted many international initiatives" to open dialogue with the rebels. [TGT] promised to later detail them on [TGT] personal website.
 In the cables  in particular one dated Feb. 6 that discussed a three-hour meeting [TGT] had with Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg  the hard-line former Colombian president is described as skeptical about contacts with the FARC leading to a negotiated peace as long as the rebels have refuge in neighboring Venezuela and "a fountain of wealth" from cocaine trafficking.
 Colombia's current president  Juan Manuel Santos  was defense minister for most of [TGT]'s second four-year term.
 Santos has made it clear that his attitude toward peace talks remains the same as [TGT]'s.
 Since January of 2008  it has freed a total of 14 hostages in what [TGT] complained were "publicity-seeking stunts."