Venezuela’s Hugo Chávez has achieved a publicity coup by mediating the successful release of two female politicians held hostage for several years by Colombia’s Farc. But this action, however, welcome from a humanitarian point of view, is unlikely to persuade the Colombian government to change its hard-line policy towards the country’s guerrilla movement.

In fact, by attempting to advance the political cause of FARC, Mr Chávez is probably making it less likely that any of the other 40 or so politically important hostages (not to mention the 700 kidnapped for purely economic motives) will be released any time soon.