Out of Captivity : Surviving 1,967 Days in the Colombian Jungle

374 OUT OF CAPTIVITYfocused on the idea for a while, it may have subconsciously contributedto my eruption at Enrique.Ten days later on August 31, 2007, our prospects got even better whenUribe announced that he would allow Chávez to act on behalf of theColombian government in negotiations with the FARC for a prisonerexchange. Chávez stated that he had also received a letter from a highrankingFARC official asking him to get involved. In a show of goodfaith, the FARC led a Red Cross delegation to the site where the bodiesof the eleven slaughtered deputies were located. The bodies were to bereturned to the families after a forensic analysis. Several days after thispromise was carried out, Raúl Reyes, the FARC’s number two in command,stated that Chávez’s participation was a good first step; however,any prisoner exchange would have to take place in Colombia. Chávezvowed that if necessary, he would go into the deepest parts of the jungleto meet with FARC leaders. There’d been rumors that Marulanda wasnot well and unable to travel, so wherever and whenever Chávez heldhis meetings was a good thing for us.Everyone in camp was energized by the news. Even Lucho was cautiouslyoptimistic.“This is the first time in twenty years that I’ve seen relations betweenVenezuela and us even remotely positive,” he said. “It has been a longtime coming. I don’t trust Chávez’s motives, but if it can help extract usfrom this hell, I’d be willing to have the devil himself take my hand.”The radio reported that Chávez stayed twelve hours longer than originallyintended and that he and Uribe had wide ranging discussionsabout a variety of issues of mutual benefit. If the Venezualan presidentwas angling for something else, as Keith predicted, I didn’t care.I wanted out of that jungle even if it meant that I was being used as apawn in a much bigger game.About the same time that Uribe announced Chavez’s involvement,we got word that there would be a new U.S. ambassador to Colombianamed William Brownfield. Brownfield was replacing William Wood, a