France, Colombia To
Collaborate On Hostage
Release
France and Colombia will
collaborate on the
release of hostages,
including a
French-Colombian
stateswoman, held by
Colombian rebels,
visiting French Foreign
Minister Bernard
Kouchner said Thursday.
"France's and other
friendly countries' role
is to participate to
accomplish humanitarian
interchanges" between
Colombian government and
Colombia's Revolutionary
Armed Forces (FARC),
said Kouchner during a
press conference after a
meeting with Colombian
President Alvaro Uribe
and the high peace
commissioner Luis
CarlosRestrepo in Bogota.
Restrepo said "there is
a close and active
relation" between
Colombia and France and
they were concerned
about the liberation of
the hostages held by the
FARC, since they also
kidnapped a
French-Colombian
citizen.
Kouchner's visit comes
on the eve of the sixth
anniversary of Ingrid
Betancourt's abduction.
Betancourt, the
French-Colombian
stateswoman who remains
in rebel custody, was
campaigning for
Colombia's presidency
when she was kidnapped
together with her vice
presidential candidate
Ms. Clara Rojas by the
FARC on Feb. 23,2002.
Kouchner arrived in
Colombia from Venezuela,
where he praised
Venezuelan President
Hugo Chavez for his
mediation due to which
two hostages, including
Rojas, were released in
January.
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