As the Tide Turns, Gratitude turns to harsh criticism: “Uribe should soften his tone with FARC”: Betancourt
PARIS (Reuters) – Colombian President Alvaro Uribe should soften his tone when dealing with the Marxist FARC guerrillas, freed hostage Ingrid Betancourt said on Monday, urging him to break with the language of “hatred”.
Ingrid to Uribe: “I think the time has come to change the language of radicalism, extremism and hatred, the very strong words that cause deep hurt to a human being,” Wait…What!?
Betancourt was rescued last week after more than six years in the jungle as a captive of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), in an operation that was widely seen as a vindication of Uribe’s hardline stance against the guerrillas.
The FARC is still holding hundreds of captives and Betancourt, who flew to Paris within 48 hours of her release, said Uribe should change tack to help secure their freedom.
“President Uribe, and not just President Uribe but Colombia as a whole, should change some things,” Betancourt told RFI radio, making her first public criticism of her one-time political rival since her liberation.
“I think the time has come to change the language of radicalism, extremism and hatred, the very strong words that cause deep hurt to a human being,” she said, adding that tolerance and respect were needed.
“There comes a time when one has to agree to talk to the people you hate,” she said.
This were some of the questions we, at Rafaelmartel.com, raise about Betancourt when she was rescued:
What will she say now? Will she be a victim of Stockholm Syndrome? Will she remain a democrat? Time will tell. Only hours after her rescue the left is calling for her to run for the presidency of Colombia. The left have made a heroine of her. The extreme left kidnapped Ingrid. Is she now the next Evita? Is there any essence in the woman who called for the unity of all Colombians? Most importantly: Is she all right, mentally and physically? Let’s hope so. One thing is for sure, she will never be the same.
