Richardson: The Diplomat

Governor Richardson demonstrated his strong diplomacy skills when he recently met with the Colombian President Alvaro Uribe and Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez regarding the release of three American hostages.  These hostages are in addition to six whom were recently released from Colombia; the men were taken after their plane crashed in the country in 2003.  Bill Richardson made clear that he was not attending the meetings as a representative of the government  (he is no longer a U.N. ambassador); rather, Richardson decided to engage with Chavez and Uribe on request from the families of the three hostages.  Prior to his visit, Richardson discussed the situation with the Latin American musical artist Juanes and Colombia University's professor Aldo Civico.