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DATE=10/04/00

TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT

NUMBER=2-267451

TITLE=RED CROSS / COLOMBIA (L-O)

BYLINE=LISA SCHLEIN

DATELINE=GENEVA

CONTENT=

VOICED AT:

INTRO: The International Committee of the Red Cross has suspended its evacuations of wounded fighters in Colombia, following the murder earlier this week (October 2) of a rebel under its care. Lisa Schlein reports from Geneva that the Red Cross says it will not resume its humanitarian operation until it receives guarantees of safety.

TEXT: The Red Cross suspended the medical evacuations after a member of a rightist paramilitary group, the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia, was murdered by a rival rebel organization while in Red Cross custody.

The Red Cross says the wounded man was shot by members of the leftist Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, known as F-A-R-C, while being transported by the Red Cross to a hospital. Red Cross press officer Corinne Adam says the killing is a grave breach of international humanitarian law and the agency wants assurances that something like this will not happen again.

/// ADAM ACT ///

[Unless] we have really firm and reliable guarantees from all the parties of the conflict that our medical evacuations of wounded combatants can proceed unhindered, we will not be able to resume this type of humanitarian operation.

/// END ACT ///

The latest killing is believed to be in revenge for an incident that occurred on September 22, when rebels from the A-U-C executed a wounded female member of F-A-R-C as she was being transported by the Red Cross. Ms. Adam says the Red Cross is appalled by the attacks.

/// ADAM ACT 2 ///

The Red Cross was not the target. But these people were under our protection. The delegates are quite traumatized by what happened, because when you are proceeding to a humanitarian operation and are taking care of someone in need of medical attention and that basically, this person ends up dead, that is quite a shock.

/// END ACT ///

Ms. Adam says the Red Cross is in contact with both rebel groups. She says the agency wants the rebel leaders to tell their troops in the field that they must respect the Red Cross emblem and must allow the humanitarian operation to proceed in safety. (SIGNED)

NEB/LS/KL/RAE