The Colombian government Thursday suggested the creation of a "demilitarized zone" to facilitate the exchange of imprisoned leftist rebels for hostages, who include many public officials held for years by leftist rebels, DPA reported. President Alvaro Uribe would not object to a complete withdrawal of security forces from the south-western towns of Florida and Pradera, according to Alvaro Leyva, the government's official in charge of peace negotiations. Leyva said that rebels of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) would in turn have to remove from the area all armed elements. Uribe, who focussed mainly on security issues during his first term in office, has been reluctant to discuss such an exchange despite pressure from the families of the hostages. But in his his second inaugural speech in August, he pledged to work more actively towards a peaceful resolution of the 40-year-old Colombian conflict during his second term. The government has already made substantial efforts to disarm and resettle right-wing militias over the past year or so.
