Expat Village is edited and published by Iain Williams in Caracas
and Porlamar, Margarita Island, Venezuela.
A Bloomberg story by Ed Johnson at www.bloomberg.com
The Red Cross demanded Colombia clarify the army's use of its emblem in an operation to release Ingrid Betancourt and other hostages, after a video showed a soldier wearing the insignia earlier than previously explained.
Footage shown on Colombian television this week showed a member of the army team wearing a bib with the insignia before the rescue helicopter took off, the International Committee of the Red Cross said in a statement yesterday. President Alvaro Uribe last month said the soldier attached it on arriving at the rebel camp because he feared for his life.
``If authenticated, these images would clearly establish an improper use of the red cross emblem, which we deplore,'' Dominik Stillhart, the ICRC's deputy director of operations, said in the statement. ``We are in contact with the Colombian authorities to ask for further clarifications as to exactly what happened.''
Government troops on July 2 rescued former presidential candidate Betancourt, three U.S. Defense Department contractors and 11 military personnel by tricking two commanders of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia into believing an international aid mission had been sent by the rebel leadership to retrieve the captives.
Uribe last month apologized to the Red Cross and said the soldier attached the insignia to his jacket after seeing so many guerrillas as the helicopter landed.
The president was misinformed before he made the comments, El Tiempo reported earlier this week, citing Colombia's Defense Minister Juan Manuel Santos.
The leaking of the video to the media was a ``betrayal of the nation'' because it endangers those involved in the rescue operation, Santos said, according to the report.
The use of the red cross symbol is governed by the Geneva Conventions and international humanitarian law, the agency said in its statement.
``Complete and total respect for the red cross emblem is essential if the ICRC is to be able to bring assistance and protection to the people worst affected by armed conflicts,'' the Geneva-based organization said.
Expat Village is edited and published by Iain Williams in Caracas
and Porlamar, Margarita Island, Venezuela.
