Moreno seeks to meet Santos to address Ecuador-Colombia border violence

QUITO, April 10 (Xinhua) -- Ecuador's President Lenin Moreno has asked to meet his Colombian counterpart, Juan Manuel Santos, to address a series of violent attacks against Ecuadorian nationals along their border.

A statement by the Ecuadorian foreign ministry said that Moreno "hopes this meeting can be held during the Summit of the Americas, which will be held this week in Lima."

On March 26, a team of journalists from the El Comercio daily was captured by former members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) guerrilla group in the Ecuadorian province of Esmeraldas.

Ecuadorian Foreign Minister Maria Fernanda Espinosa met with the families of the captured journalists on Tuesday, as well as their colleagues. The minister received a petition signed by 500 people, demanding the government secure the prompt release of the kidnapped.

The statement said that Espinosa "expressed her consternation, commitment and solidarity, while showing her openness to the proposals of the families."

She reiterated that securing the freedom of the three El Comercio employees is a "priority" for the government.

Espinosa said she was in constant contact with her Colombian counterpart, Maria Angela Holguin, "to provide constant follow-up in this kidnapping case.

Moreno has also said he was making every effort to secure the release of the journalists.

On Monday, Interior Minister Cesar Navas said there was no ongoing negotiations with the illegal armed group. "We cannot say that we are in any negotiation process," he explained, adding that Moreno wanted to "exhaust every avenue for the three to return home safe and sound."

Other attacks by armed gangs along the border in recent months have left four Ecuadorian soldiers dead and at least 40 injured. This has led Moreno to reinforce the border with over 12,000 soldiers.

Quito has blamed these attacks on organized crime linked to drug trafficking and former FARC members operating out of northern Colombia after rejecting the guerrilla group's peace agreement with Bogota. Enditem