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.
Source: Xinhua
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