Team Infidel
Forum Spin Doctor
New York Times
April 27, 2008 By Simon Romero
CARACAS, Venezuela — President Hugo Chávez agreed Saturday night to help Gov. Bill Richardson of New Mexico, a seasoned diplomat, try to win the release of three American military contractors held by Colombia’s largest rebel group, Mr. Richardson said.
In an interview after the two men met, Mr. Richardson said that Mr. Chávez, who in recent months attempted his own mediation with the Marxist-inspired Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, welcomed Mr. Richardson’s efforts to contact the rebels.
“I’m cautiously optimistic that we can re-engage the hostage negotiation process,” said Mr. Richardson, a former United States ambassador to the United Nations, who has previously won the release of captives held in Cuba, Iraq, North Korea and Sudan.
The meeting itself was exceptional, marking a rare personal encounter between and a prominent American official and Mr. Chávez, following a sharp deterioration of political relations between the Bush administration and Venezuela’s government.
The two men met for 90 minutes at Mr. Chávez’s office in the presidential palace here. Mr. Richardson said he had told Mr. Chávez that he traveled to Caracas exclusively to discuss the hostage issue. Mr. Richardson made a similar trip last month to Bogotá to meet with the Colombian president, Álvaro Uribe.
Mr. Richardson also asked Mr. Chávez to have his senior diplomats meet with the American ambassador, Patrick Duddy, in an attempt to improve ties between their countries. Mr. Chávez instructed his foreign minister, Nicolás Maduro, to arrange such a meeting, according to an official briefed on the discussion who requested anonymity because of the delicacy of relations between the United States and Venezuela.
During the meeting, Mr. Richardson gave two baseball mementos to Mr. Chávez: a vintage card featuring Luis Aparicio, a Venezuelan shortstop who won renown in professional baseball in the United States, and a baseball signed by three legendary American players, Mickey Mantle, Duke Snider and Willie Mays.
“We started joking about who had the better curveball,” Mr. Richardson said.
Venezuela’s official news agency said Mr. Chávez had offered to help any mediation attempts, including Mr. Richardson’s. Earlier this year Mr. Chávez helped win the release of six Colombian captives of the FARC before political tensions between Colombia and Venezuela derailed his negotiations with the rebels.
The status of the three Americans held by the FARC — Marc Gonsalves, Thomas Howes and Keith Stansell — remains unclear. The men, hired to do antinarcotics surveillance for Northrop Grumman, were captured by the guerrillas in 2003 when their plane went down in the Colombian jungle.
Mr. Richardson said that his priority would be the three Americans, but that he was also in contact with France’s government about ways to work for the release of Ingrid Betancourt, who was taken captive in 2002 while campaigning for the Colombian presidency. She has Colombian and French citizenship.
April 27, 2008 By Simon Romero
CARACAS, Venezuela — President Hugo Chávez agreed Saturday night to help Gov. Bill Richardson of New Mexico, a seasoned diplomat, try to win the release of three American military contractors held by Colombia’s largest rebel group, Mr. Richardson said.
In an interview after the two men met, Mr. Richardson said that Mr. Chávez, who in recent months attempted his own mediation with the Marxist-inspired Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, welcomed Mr. Richardson’s efforts to contact the rebels.
“I’m cautiously optimistic that we can re-engage the hostage negotiation process,” said Mr. Richardson, a former United States ambassador to the United Nations, who has previously won the release of captives held in Cuba, Iraq, North Korea and Sudan.
The meeting itself was exceptional, marking a rare personal encounter between and a prominent American official and Mr. Chávez, following a sharp deterioration of political relations between the Bush administration and Venezuela’s government.
The two men met for 90 minutes at Mr. Chávez’s office in the presidential palace here. Mr. Richardson said he had told Mr. Chávez that he traveled to Caracas exclusively to discuss the hostage issue. Mr. Richardson made a similar trip last month to Bogotá to meet with the Colombian president, Álvaro Uribe.
Mr. Richardson also asked Mr. Chávez to have his senior diplomats meet with the American ambassador, Patrick Duddy, in an attempt to improve ties between their countries. Mr. Chávez instructed his foreign minister, Nicolás Maduro, to arrange such a meeting, according to an official briefed on the discussion who requested anonymity because of the delicacy of relations between the United States and Venezuela.
During the meeting, Mr. Richardson gave two baseball mementos to Mr. Chávez: a vintage card featuring Luis Aparicio, a Venezuelan shortstop who won renown in professional baseball in the United States, and a baseball signed by three legendary American players, Mickey Mantle, Duke Snider and Willie Mays.
“We started joking about who had the better curveball,” Mr. Richardson said.
Venezuela’s official news agency said Mr. Chávez had offered to help any mediation attempts, including Mr. Richardson’s. Earlier this year Mr. Chávez helped win the release of six Colombian captives of the FARC before political tensions between Colombia and Venezuela derailed his negotiations with the rebels.
The status of the three Americans held by the FARC — Marc Gonsalves, Thomas Howes and Keith Stansell — remains unclear. The men, hired to do antinarcotics surveillance for Northrop Grumman, were captured by the guerrillas in 2003 when their plane went down in the Colombian jungle.
Mr. Richardson said that his priority would be the three Americans, but that he was also in contact with France’s government about ways to work for the release of Ingrid Betancourt, who was taken captive in 2002 while campaigning for the Colombian presidency. She has Colombian and French citizenship.