Colombian President Álvaro Uribe Thursday said he would continue to seek a swap of hostages held by the Colombian Revolutionary Armed Forces (FARC) for FARC troops who are in jail, but without endangering the fight against the guerrilla group, one day after he terminated his Venezuelan counterpart Hugo Chávez's mediation in the process.
 
"Every possible effort to attain both peace and a humanitarian agreement should be made, but we must keep in mind that one cannot jeopardize democratic safety, which is ultimately what gives us peace and what is going to put an end to kidnappings, which have hit our country so badly," Uribe declared in Bogotá, as quoted by AFP.

During a ceremony in his presidential palace, the Colombian ruler refrained from referring directly to his decision -disclosed late Wednesday- of discontinuing Chávez's mediation to make the FARC swap some 45 hostages held by the FARC for 500 FARC rebels who are in jail.

Uribe is implementing a hard-line strategy against rebel groups in his country he has called "democratic safety." This policy has involved increased military budget -with US aid- and efforts to raid on the historic rearward of the FARC south Colombia.