Chávez Flies to Colombia for Talks to Free Hostages Held By Guerrillas

Venezuela's president, Hugo Chávez, made a bold attempt yesterday to broker a deal between Colombia and leftwing guerrillas to free hostages languishing in jungle redoubts.

Mr Chávez flew to Colombia hoping his unique position in the region could secure a humanitarian breakthrough in his neighbor's intractable 40-year civil conflict.

He was scheduled to hold talks with President Álvaro Uribe before making an appeal to the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia - Marxist rebels known by the Spanish acronym Farc.

"I ask God that I may be able to contribute to the matter of a humanitarian exchange and in the matter of peace; peace for everyone," he said on arriving at a military airport in Bogotá.

Mr Chávez could succeed where European mediators have failed because the guerrillas respect him as a radical socialist who opposes US hegemony in South America.

They are holding dozens of hostages, including politicians, soldiers and police officers, deep in the jungle.

Some have been held for more than a decade, causing anguish for relatives and putting pressure on Colombia's government for a solution.

Richard Howitt, a British MEP who has campaigned for a humanitarian accord, shared the widespread optimism that Mr Chávez could succeed. "I don't think Chávez is the type of person who, if he fails initially, will walk away and just say, 'I did my best,'" he said.

Mr Howitt, who this week met hostages' relatives and government officials in Bogotá and Cali, said Colombia's hardline conservative president had grudgingly accepted the initiative. Mr Uribe, whose father was killed by the rebels in a botched kidnap attempt, has long championed military means.

"If it [the humanitarian accord] happens, it won't be because Uribe wants it. It will be because of the political situation and international pressure," said Mr Howitt.