BOGOTA, Oct. 27 (UPI) -- Leftist rebels in Colombia have agreed to begin releasing seven foreign tourists they took hostage on Sept. 12, a mediator said Monday.
The BBC reported the rebels plan to free the captives one by one, starting next week with a Spaniard from the country's Basque region.
Four Israelis, a German, a Spaniard and a Briton were seized while hiking in the northern Sierra Nevada mountains. A second Briton managed to escape and is back in the United Kingdom.
Colombian President Alvaro Uribe reportedly offered to free leaders of the National Liberation Army from prison in return for the hostages' safe release.
The tourists' imminent release was announced by the Bishop of Medellin, Monsignor Alberto Giraldo Aramedio, after talks with ELN leader Francisco Galan, who is held in a jail.
The hostages will be received by a commission made up of priests from the Catholic Church, a member of the United Nations and two guerrilla commanders.
