IRELAND: The Dún Laoghaire TD and former minister for foreign affairs, Mr David Andrews, left Ireland on Saturday morning to fly to Bogota where he planned to visit three Irish men in prison, writes Caroline O'Doherty.
Mr Andrews also hoped to meet representatives of the Colombian government during his stay. He is not making the trip as an official Government representative but said he was going for humanitarian reasons at the request of Mr Connolly's mother, a constituent.
The cost of the trip is being met by supporters of the men who held a fundraising concert last year.
Mr Andrews said his first concern was the men's safety and the conditions in which they were being held, but he said he would ask them about the nature of their business in Colombia and why they were travelling on allegedly false passports.
Meanwhile, in what seemed the final blow to a three-year peace effort, Colombian Marxist rebels yesterday announced they would leave their safe haven by the government-imposed deadline today, ahead of an expected military offensive.
The FARC has until 9.30 p.m. on Monday (2.30 a.m. GMT Tuesday) to abandon the safe haven they have occupied since November 1998, President Andres Pastrana said.
According to a statement by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), the president has "closed the possibilities to the current process" by rejecting a last-minute proposal to renew talks.
Spokesman Mr Simon Trinidad said the rebels would use "all forms of struggle" to obtain political and socio-economic changes in the country.
The FARC will hand over the main towns in their area "exactly as was agreed between (Mr Pastrana) and (FARC leader) Manuel Marulanda Velez at the start of the process," he said.
The rebel statement apparently smothers plans to resuscitate peace talks aimed at ending Colombia's 38-year civil war.
Mr Pastrana's core condition for a resumption of talks is a ceasefire and a halt to hostilities and abductions by the rebel group.
In their offer presented on Saturday, the rebels agreed to study proposals that would lead to a ceasefire.
Although the government-FARC peace process began in January 1999, the two sides could never agree to conditions for a ceasefire and the Colombian military clashed with rebels even as negotiators talked peace.
Mr Pastrana's rejection of the rebel deal is likely to result in an escalation in violence.
Colombia's top military brass have gathered to oversee the operation to reoccupy the rebel-controlled zone, touted as the largest offensive in Colombian history. Defence Ministry sources said participants included head of the armed forces Gen Fernando Tapias. Some 13,000 soldiers are ready to invade the remote area, according to military sources. -