FARC confirms the loss by Claudia Sonea

The leader of Colombia's leftwing FARC guerrilla army, Manuel Marulanda passed into eternity. Unfortunately his name won’t bring tears of sorrow in people’s eyes, except those of his comrades. He will be remembered as the founder and leader of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia caring a four-decade long campaign against Bogota that registered the loss of many lives and many people lost their freedom after they have been taken prisoners. Columbian Government gave the news on Saturday, but only on Sunday the FARC confirmed it. In fact Marulanda aka "Sureshot" died on the evening of March 26. Timoleon "Timochenco" Jimenez, a member of the FARC stated for the Venezuela's Telesur giving details on the future of the rebel army. There is hope for them to put down weapons and free hostages. Alfonso Cano who will replace Marulanda is moderate and intellectual and in the context of the many defeats against Colombian government forces supported by the US, he might come to terms with President Alvaro Uribe and accepting the invitation to negotiations of Defense Minister Juan Manuel Santos. President Uribe assured all members of FARC that their freedom is guaranteed as long as they release the 750 hostages that they believe to have taken. He added that those who will release prisoners and leave FARC will be handed to France so that they live free there and French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner on Sunday praised the proposal. The fact that they have under their possession Betancourt, a former Colombian presidential candidate of French origin makes the international community eager to get to an agreement with the rebels. She has been a prisoner for the past 6 years and up to this point her release was negotiated in the exchange of the freedom of 500 FARC members that are in Columbian and US jails. The long time civil war started by Marulanda will eternalize his name in history as that of a rebel and a murderer. Yet, he was a human being and his lost is a tragedy for those who cherished him and looked up to him. We should be kinder in the way we talk about him and respect the grief of others. May God rest his soul!

related story: http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080525/wl_afp/colombiarebelsunrest;_ylt=AobLqFb2lS9vK9uoX1O20zus0NUE

by Claudia Sonea for PocketNews (http://pocketnews.tv)

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