DATE=6/19/98 TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT NUMBER=2-234233 TITLE=COLOMBIA / P-L-O (L ONLY) BYLINE=GEORGE MEEK DATELINE=BOGOTA CONTENT= VOICED AT: INTRO: LEFTIST GUERRILLAS IN COLOMBIA HAVE KIDNAPPED THE LOCAL SPOKESMAN OF THE PALESTINE AUTHORITY. THE ABDUCTION -- WHICH TOOK PLACE -- TWO MONTHS AGO WAS KEPT SECRET UNTIL A BOGOTA TELEVISION STATION BROKE THE STORY TODAY. CORRESPONDENT GEORGE MEEK HAS DETAILS FROM THE COLOMBIAN CAPITAL. TEXT: THE LONG-TIME P-L-O SPOKESMAN IN COLOMBIA, JAIME SALEM, WAS CAPTURED BY THE REVOLUTIONARY ARMED FORCES ON APRIL 25TH WHEN HE WAS VISITING HIS BROTHER IN THE SOUTHERN PART OF BOGOTA. HE WAS SEIZED BY THE SAME REBEL UNIT THAT CAPTURED A GROUP OF AMERICAN BIRD WATCHERS, WHO WERE LATER RELEASED. MR. SALEM, A FORMER MEMBER OF THE PALESTINE PARLIAMENT IN EXILE, HAS BEEN LIVING IN COLOMBIA FOR 30 YEARS. THE AMBASSADOR OF THE PALESTINE AUTHORITY IN COLOMBIA, SABRI ATEYEH, IS MEETING WITH PALESTINE LEADER YASSER ARAFAT TO ARRANGE FOR A DELEGATION TO COME TO COLOMBIA ON TUESDAY TO TRY TO WIN MR. SALEM'S FREEDOM. // OPT // LOCAL TELEVISION REPORTS THAT CUBAN LEADER FIDEL CASTRO AND LIBYAN LEADER MUAMMAR GADHAFI HAVE ALSO BEEN INVOLVED IN THE SECRET NEGOTIATIONS IN THE CASE. // END OPT // KIDNAPPING IS COMMON IN COLOMBIA. OFFICIALS BELIEVE THE REVOLUTIONARY ARMED FORCES, WHOSE SPANISH ACRONYM IS FARC, EARN MORE THAN 100 MILLION DOLLARS PER YEAR FROM KIDNAP RANSOMS. FARC FREQUENTLY USES THE RELEASE OF HOSTAGES AS AN OCCASION TO ISSUE COMMUNIQUES. FARC AND COLOMBIA'S SECOND LARGEST REBEL GROUP, THE NATIONAL LIBERATION ARMY, EFFECTIVELY CONTROL ABOUT HALF OF THE NATIONAL TERRITORY. (SIGNED) NEB/GM/LTD/JO 19-Jun-98 3:27 PM EDT (1927 UTC) NNNN Source: Voice of America .
