Colombia leads in kidnappings, with 1,678 this year

             BOGOTA, Colombia -- (EFE) -- A total of 450 Colombians and nine foreigners
             are being held hostage in Colombia, a country with 1,678 kidnapping cases so far
             in 1998, the head of the government anti-kidnapping program, Jose Alfredo
             Escobar, reported Thursday.

             The figures do not include 308 soldiers and police officers -- who were captured
             in attacks and clashes over the past 12 months -- held by the Revolutionary
             Armed Forces of Colombia.

             In statements to radio stations in the Colombian capital, Escobar said that
             kidnapping cases have risen this year, with a historic average of 1,000 cases a
             year, and that the country had become the world leader in this crime.

             Colombia's ``anti-kidnapping czar'' blamed the illegal ransom negotiations between
             kidnappers and their victims' families for the rise in kidnappings.

             The country's law stipulates prison sentences for those who negotiate the release
             of their loved ones. The law also establishes up to 60 years in prison for the
             kidnappers.

             Escobar, who heads the presidential program for personal freedom, said
             anti-kidnapping military and police forces have rescued 451 people in the year.

             With these operations, he added, authorities prevented a total ransom payment of
             $52.2 million.