Campaigners hopeful of freeing Colombia Three

Campaigners for the release of three Irishmen detained in Colombia were today due to meet senior Government and legal officials to see if they could be flown back to Dublin.

Sinn Féin Assembly members Caitriona Ruane and Gerry Kelly had arranged talks with Colombia’s Vice-Attorney General and officials for the country’s Vice-President Francisco Santos.

The meetings were being held after the Colombian government last night signalled it had no objection to the three prisoners James Monaghan, Martin McCauley and Niall Connolly returning to Ireland on condition that they would fly back to Bogota for an appeal on their case.

The three Irishmen were acquitted in April of training Marxist FARC rebels but convicted of travelling to the country on false passports.

Colombian prosecutors are appealing the decision not to convict them for training rebels.

Last month the Taoiseach Bertie Ahern urged Colombian President Alvaro Uribe, at a summit of EU and South American leaders in Mexico, to speed up the legal process.

He also suggested that the prisoners could return to Ireland to await the appeal.

The Colombian government last night said that was a matter for magistrates to decide but if they ruled that the Irishmen could return to Dublin and await the start of the appeal, it had no objections.

Ms Ruane said today that while the Colombian government statement was a significant step, they were not getting carried away.

The South Down Assembly member said: “It is a very positive development.

“But this is Colombia and we have been down the road many times before of having our hopes built up, only to see them dashed.

“The men have reacted positively to this development but have also consulted their lawyers.

“A petition is being put to the magistrates to allow them to leave the country but it is essential that the Irish Government, having intervened on their behalf, continues to make representations at the highest level.”