FORMER PEACE BROKER CRITICIZES EU

Carlos Lozano Guillen, a fomer peace broker and member of the high-profile "VIP Commission" that facilitated peace talks between the Bogotá government and the Colombian insurgents told ANNCOL that he was disappointed with the EU's latest move.

"It is a shame that Europe has decided to support the warmongers," Lozano said from Geneva, Switzerland.

Carlos Lozano who is now editor of the weekly Voz, carried on to sayu that the decision by the European Union to include the FARC-EP in the EU list of terrorist organizations will deal a fatal blow to any possibility of a humanitarian agreement to secure the release of a large number of officers and prominent politicians that are being held by the rebels.

Amongst those detained by the guerrillas are army and police officers and non-commissioned officers, members of parliament, former ministers, the governor of Antioquia department, and former presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt.

Efforts to negotiate an exchange of prisoners held by the FARC with guerrillas held captive by the Bogota government are being made in different parts of the world. Recently, when the FARC offices were closed, the contacts moved to Europe, but now this option has been closed.