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Uribe admits Red Cross emblem used in hostage rescue
1 day agoBOGOTA (AFP) — Colombian President Alvaro Uribe acknowledged that his army used the Red Cross emblem in its bloodless July 2 rescue of 15 hostages, a move the humanitarian agency swiftly denounced as "abusive."
Uribe allowed Wednesday that one army official wore a vest with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) emblem but said that it was because the official was nervous about the operation and there were many leftist rebels on the scene.
So "the official took a piece of cloth out of his pocket with the initials CICR (ICRC) on it, and he put it on his vest; we are sorry that this has happened," Uribe said, suggesting there was no effort at deception.
CNN television reported that it had viewed unpublished photos and video of the rescue in which a military official is seen using the emblem of the international humanitarian organization, in what some said could be deemed a "war crime."
Uribe said he presented his apologies to the ICRC on Wednesday morning, but Red Cross outrage over the incident was immediate.
"The emblem of the Red Cross needs to be respected in all circumstances and cannot be used in an abusive manner," the ICRC said in a statement from Bogota.
In Geneva, ICRC spokeswoman Florian Westphal said: "The respect of the emblem is crucial so the ICRC can bring help to people affected by the conflicts in Colombia or elsewhere."
Full story.