The recent bloodless rescue of 15 hostages in Colombia, including a former presidential candidate who had been held for more than six years, was seen internationally as a signal that the Bogota government was finally prevailing over the nation's leftist guerrillas.
Fernando Araujo Perdomo, who was Colombia's foreign minister at the time of the July 2 rescue operation, said recently in Tokyo that the successful liberation of Ingrid Betancourt, three American private contractors and 11 Colombian authorities was a significant achievement for his country.
"It showed that Colombia's security level is definitely improving," Araujo, 53, said. "At the same time, its success was the result of many other actions taken by the Colombian government against the insurgence over the years."