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Colombia's leftist FRAC rebels have freed four Chinese oil workers they had abducted seventeen months ago in the country's southern jungles, media reports citing officials said Friday.
The rebel group reportedly handed over the four Chinese oil workers to Red Cross staff in a rural area of southern Colombia Wednesday night. Colombian officials said the Chinese men appeared to be in good health. Further, China's ambassador confirmed that no ransom was ever sought for their release.
The four Chinese men were working for the British oil company Emerald Energy, an affiliate of China's state-owned Sinochem in Colombia, when they were abducted by the FARC rebels near San Vicente de Caguan City in March 2011. They are believed to have been the only foreigners held by the group.
Their release came two days after peace talks resumed between FARC and the Colombian government in the Cuban capital city of Havana on Monday. Ahead of the talks, the rebel group had declared a unilateral two-month ceasefire for Christmas.
Earlier, the peace process was officially launched at a ceremony in the Norwegian capital of Oslo on October 18, following days of intense negotiations between the two sides. Those negotiations were the first direct talks between the two parties in more than 10 years. In addition to Norway and Cuba, Chile and Venezuela also played major roles in bringing the two sides to the negotiating table.
The negotiations in Cuba are expected to focus mainly on rural development, job opportunities for peasants, land distribution, the rebels' future role in politics, a definitive end to hostilities, fighting the illegal drug trade and the future of the conflict's victims.
Current Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos' decision to reopen peace negotiations with FARC rebels marks a notable shift in policy from that of the previous Colombian governments, which had steadfastly refused to engage in negotiations with the rebels.
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