By Fabian Andres Cambero CARACAS, Feb 25 (Reuters) - Four Colombian hostages that Marxist rebels have promised to free are now in the same place, a Venezuelan official said on Monday, signaling a step forward in a deal brokered by leftist President Hugo Chavez. Venezuelan Interior Minister Ramon Rodriguez accused Colombia of putting the hostages at risk with military operations in the area. He did not specify where the hostages were held but they are believed to still be inside Colombia. "The four hostages that are going to be released to Venezuelan authorities are already together," said Interior Minister Ramon Rodriguez in a televised press conference. "That is the last intelligence report I have as of 24 hours ago." The statement suggests the rebels are close to freeing the hostages to Chavez or a delegate of his choice, and it contradicts the Colombian government view that one of the captives was in a separate camp. The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, last month said it would release lawmakers Gloria Polanco de Losada, Luis Eladio Perez and Orlando Beltran, all held for more than six years. They later said they would also free Jorge Gechem, an ailing legislator. Rodriguez repeated accusations that the Colombian army was obstructing the release. "There are intense, powerful, careless operations in the area where the hostages are. I want the hostages' families to know their relatives are in danger," he said. The FARC holds dozens of high-profile hostages that include French-Colombian politician Ingrid Betancourt and three American contractors and hope to swap them for jailed rebel fighters. Colombian Defense Minister Juan Manuel Santos last week said his government already knew where the hostages were and that the Gechem was being held in a different camp from the others. Chavez has spent months working to free hostages kidnapped by the rebels and successfully won the release of two women politicians in January. But his involvement has increased tensions with Colombia's right-wing President Alvaro Uribe, who accuses Chavez of overstepping his bounds as a mediator. (Writing by Brian Ellsworth; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
Police officers stand at the entrance of Fedecamaras building after a bomb explosion in Caracas February 24, 2008. A small device exploded outside the offices of Venezuela's main business chamber on ...
