Held Hostage in Colombia: New Hope for a Humanitarian Accord?
Public Roundtable Event
Date and Time
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
12:30 PM - 2:30 PM
Location
U.S. Institute of Peace
2nd Floor Conference Room
1200 17th St, NW
Washington, DC 20036
Directions
RSVP Today
In February 2008, Senator Luis Eladio Pérez was one of a group of four Colombian hostages released by the Colombian Revolutionary Armed Forces (FARC) following intense and successful diplomatic efforts and the assistance of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). Senator Pérez was held since 2002 when his kidnapping served as a death knell to peace talks under former Colombian President Andrés Pastrana. The FARC continue to hold seven civilians and thirty-three Colombian military and police officials, some of who have been hostages for more than ten years. Of the seven civilian "prisoner exchange" hostages, three are U.S. citizens: Thomas Howes, Keith Stansell and Marc Gonsalves, employees of a U.S. Defense Department contractor. They have been held captive since their single-engine plane went down in southern Colombia in February 2003. Since his release, Senator Pérez has been actively promoting a humanitarian solution to the hostage crisis. This event will feature Senator Pérez for a roundtable discussion with members of the international community. Panelists will discuss the current status of the hostages, initiatives to secure their release, and opportunities, prospects, and obstacles to a humanitarian accord.
Senator Pérez will also be speaking at two other public events:
Thursday, May 15th at 10:00 - 11:30 AM
210 Cannon House Office Building
U.S. House of Representatives
Thursday, May 15th, 12:30-1:30 PM
National Press Club, Murrow Room
529 14th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20004
Speakers
- Senator Luis Eladio Pérez
- Angelo Rivero-Santos, Ph.D.
Deputy Chief of Mission
Embassy of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela
-
Jorge Enrique Botero
Colombian journalist, author of Simon Trinidad: Man of Iron (2008)
- Minister François Rivasseau
Deputy Chief of Mission
Embassy of France
- Margarita Studemeister
Senior Advisor for Inter-American Affairs
Regional Delegation for the United States and Canada
International Committee of the Red Cross
- Virginia M. Bouvier, Moderator
United States Institute of Peace
Media Inquiries
Please contact Ian Larsen (+1.202.429.3870) or Lauren Sucher (+1.202.429.3822) in the Office of Public Affairs and Communications.
RSVP
To RSVP, please send your name, affiliation, daytime phone number, and name of the event to Wacey S. Turner at wturner@usip.org.
