Chilean President Michelle Bachelet agreed Monday to help form a group of leaders to seek the release of hostages held by Colombian rebels, the country's foreign minister said.
Bachelet, who had been here to attend the swearing-in ceremony of new Argentine President Cristina Fernandez, made the decision in response to a letter from her French counterpart Nicolas Sarkozy, said Alejandro Foxley, adding that Bachelet "immediately expressed her willingness to do so."
Sarkozy wrote to Bachelet as part of his efforts to release French-Colombian hostage Ingrid Betancourt held by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). Betancourt, born in Colombia to French parents, was kidnapped in 2002 while campaigning for the country's presidency.
The only goal of the group of leaders is to "seek the immediate release of the hostages without conditions as soon as possible," said Foxley.
Separately, Bachelet told the media that "kidnapping is one of the most cruel forms of torture, which is why Chile is answering this call to free the kidnapped men and women."
"We are upset, just as the world's conscience is upset, to see videos of Betancourt in such dramatic circumstances and having deteriorated so much physically. Freeing them is vitally important and her freedom is very urgent," Bachelet added.
Bachelet made the remarks while heading to a meeting with her Colombian counterpart Alvaro Uribe here.
It was also unknown whether Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez will be invited to join the group, as he was barred by Colombia from recent hostage mediation with FARC after breaching the terms of the negotiations.
Last month, videos showing that the hostages were still alive were captured during a government military operation leading to the arrest of three suspected FARC members.
The videos, photos and letters of the hostages showed that some of them, including Betancourt, three U.S. citizens, a politician and many soldiers, were in poor health.
Source: Xinhua
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