The international community welcomed the release of two hostages by the rebel Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and appreciated the efforts by the Venezuelan and Colombian governments, according to reports on Thursday.
Many countries and international organizations also recognized the efforts of the International Red Cross and Colombian senator Piedad Cordoba for the release of the hostages.
FARC rebels handed over Thursday Clara Rojas and former legislator Consuelo Gonzalez to an international humanitarian mission in jungles of Colombia.
"I wish to express my most heartfelt satisfaction for the liberation of Rojas and Gonzalez after being held hostage for many years by the FARC," read a press release by European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso.
The European Commission said it wished the two women's release could be a sign that the other hostages held by the FARC will recover their freedom, including Colombian presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt.
Spain and Switzerland made a special acknowledgement to Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez for helping secure the release.
The FARC handed both women to an international mission that picked them up southeast of the Colombian jungle to fly them to Venezuela.
The international community demanded the release of all other prisoners held by the FARC and said it favors a prompt ending to the internal armed conflict that has lasted almost half a century.
In a communique Spain's Foreign Ministry expressed its "solidarity for the suffering inflicted throughout their long captivity to the two hostages and their families."
French President Nicolas Sarkozy said the two women's release rekindle the hope for the release of Ingrid Betancourt, who has French nationality.
"We will redouble the efforts for the return of the rest of the hostages, Betancourt first of all," he said.
The U.S. State Department welcomed the release of the hostages and urged the FARC to hand over three U.S. citizens they captured in 2003. The FARC insisted that the three were not contractors as Washington had claimed but military spies.
The Swiss government expressed its joy and relieve over the two women's release and its gratitude to Venezuelan President Chavez, while viewing the release as a humanitarian gesture of FARC.
The Mexican government hailed the success of the mission that helped free the two women, saying that FARC's holding people hostage hurts not only the hostages' families, but the entire Colombian community as well.
Argentine President Cristina Fernandez expressed satisfaction at the release of Clara Rojas and Consuelo Gonzalez.
The Ecuadoran government "applauds the humanitarian gesture and hopes a peace movement in Colombia is inaugurated."
The Brazilian government expressed its satisfaction with the release and "congratulates the government of (Colombian) President Alvaro Uribe and (Venezuelan) President Hugo Chavez for the successful conduction of the understandings that made possible the liberation of the Colombian citizens."
The London-based humanitarian organization International Amnesty welcomed the release and asked the FARC and guerrillas of the National Liberation Army (ELN) of Colombia to do likewise with the rest of the prisoners.
Meanwhile, the families' of Rojas and Gonzalez celebrated on Thursday their regaining of freedom.
Source:Xinhua
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