Moscow Hopes For Release Of Russian Hostage In Colombia

Moscow hopes that the resumption and development of the negotiating process in Colombia will lead to an early release of Russian citizen Bychek who was taken hostage in that country on September 27, says a report from the Russian Foreign Ministry's Information and Press Department. The document notes that Moscow met with satisfaction the report that a number of agreements had been reached in Colombia following several tense months of aggravated relations between the government and the armed grouping of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia. The agreements can help get the negotiations out of the blind-alley, and impart to them the necessary dynamics. "The road to a truce, an end to the bloodshed and the mass kidnapping of people, the convocation of a constituent assembly based on the joining in to the peace process of all the country's socio-political forces is opening," says the Russian Foreign Ministry. "Pointing to the importance of stepping up assistance on the part of the world community to Colombia's peacemaking efforts, we confirm Russia's eagerness to continue rendering support for such initiatives," stresses the report.