Speeches
U.S. Welcomes Release of Two Hostages
Tom Casey, Deputy Spokesman
Washington, DC (…) The important thing is we welcome the release of these two hostages. They should have never been taken hostage in the first place. They've been held in captivity too long and we are glad to see that they've been released and look forward to them being reunited with their families. We also continue to call on the FARC to release all the hostages that they hold: Americans, Colombians and all others. Certainly, we are also appreciative for the leadership of President Uribe in terms of trying to secure the release of these hostages. And we welcome the good offices of any individuals who can help secure that in cooperation with the Colombian Government (…) The United States has and will continue to do everything it can to secure the release of our hostages. The government involved in this issue is the Government of Colombia and we work very closely with President Uribe, with the security forces in Colombia and with other interested parties to be able to see that what we can do is appropriate and ensures their safe return to their families. That's our primary concern here. U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing by Deputy Spokesman Tom Casey (video).
January 10, 2008