A humanitarian missionsaid yesterday it had arrived in northern Colombia to lookinto rights abuses, meeting a key demand by Marxist rebels torelease seven foreign tourists taken hostage in September.
"The inspection mission will hear from the communitiesabout the situation of human rights, their situation of povertyand everything," Monsignor Hector Fabio Henao told local televisionin the Caribbean city of Santa Marta.
The mission includes members of the Roman Catholic Church,the United Nations and local rights officials.
Monsignor Henao said the team's arrival would not interfere withMonday's schedule release of two of the hostages - SpaniardMr Asier Huegun and German citizen Mr Reinhilt Weigel.
The rebels recently announced they would free Mr Huegun andMr Weigel on November 24th, but have not said when they would release the four Israelis and an Englishman they are also holding.
The ELN, Colombia's second-largest guerrilla group in afour-decade-old war, kidnapped the foreigners on September 12th nearthe jungle ruins of an ancient Indian city perched in theSierra Nevada mountains.