Dun Laoghaire TD Mr David Andrews is to meet key officials in Colombia today amid tense talks to keep the country’s peace process from collapsing.
Mr Andrews is to have separate meetings today with Prosecutor General Dr Edjarddo Maya Jose Vilazon, Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr Clemencia Forero Ucros and the Attorney General Dr Luis Camilo Osorio Isaza, a spokeswoman said today.
The Fianna Fáil TD, who arrived in Bogota yesterday, is expected to discuss the detention of three Irish men in La Picota prison on terrorism charges.
Mr James Monaghan, Mr Martin McCauley and Mr Niall Connolly were arrested in August last year at Bogota airport on suspicion they had trained Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) guerrillas. They were allegedly travelling on false passports.
Mr Andrews visited the three men in La Picota prison yesterday. During the visit, he intended to inspect prison conditions and question the three men on why they were allegedly travelling under false passports when they were originally detained by the Colombian authorities.
Over the coming days, Mr Andrews, who will be in the country until Saturday, is expected to meet more representatives of Colombian government.
The former Minister for Foreign Affairs is not making the trip as an official Government representative but said he was going for humanitarian reasons at the request of Mr Connolly's mother, a constituent.
Speaking to journalists before a meeting with US special envoy Mr Richard Haass today, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Cowen, said his department’s interest in the matter was always on a consulting basis to represent Irish citizens abroad "in whatever circumstances they find themselves in".
He said: "Mr Andrews has gone [to Colombia] for himself at the request of the families and when he returns I will be speaking to him about how he got on."
Meanwhile Columbia’s peace process is still in danger as President Mr Andrew Pastrana imposed a new six-day deadline for FARC to agree a ceasefire deal or face an army offensive.
The country’s peace process was saved from collapse last night at the eleventh hour when FARC agreed to start immediate ceasefire talks and dropped demands for relaxed security around their safe haven.