Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez hosted a ceremony on Wednesday welcoming four hostages freed by Colombian rebels after almost six years in captivity.
Chavez received the hostages at Miraflores Palace shortly after they arrived at the Venezuelan capital following a rescue operation which secured their release by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).
Chavez welcomed Gloria Polanco, Orlando Beltran Cuellar, Luis Eladio Perez, Jorge Gechem and their families at the palace's entrance with a military parade and the national anthems of Colombia and Venezuela.
The four Colombian politicians were picked up by Venezuelan helicopters in a rural zone called La Poderosa in Guaviare province, southeast of Colombia, at Wednesday noon, and they arrived at Venezuela's Santo Domingo airport of Tachira province four hours later before heading on to Caracas.
FARC, Colombia's largest rebel group, handed over the four hostages to Venezuelan Interior Minister Ramon Rodriguez, the International Committee of the Red Cross representatives and Colombian opposition senator Piedad Cordoba.
On Jan. 31, FARC announced its intention to free Perez, Beltranand Polanco. On Feb. 23, the rebel group added Gechem to the list over alleged health problems.
FARC freed the four former legislators as a "redress" to the peace negotiations by Chavez since his facilitation efforts were interrupted by Colombian President Alvaro Uribe.
The four former legislators are part of 43 hostages held by the group which intends to swap some 500 FARC fighters imprisoned by the Colombian government.
On Jan. 10, FARC first released two Colombian hostages, Clara Rojas and Consuelo Gonzalez, also as a goodwill gesture to Chavez.
Source: Xinhua
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