Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez announced that two hostages were freed by Colombian rebels yesterday, saying he spoke with the Colombian women by phone and they were being flown out of the jungle aboard Venezuelan helicopters.
Chavez said in Caracas that Clara Rojas - an aide to former Colombian presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt - and former congresswoman Consuelo Gonzalez, would arrive in Venezuela within about three hours.
The International Committe of the Red Cross confirmed the two women were turned over by rebels of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC.
It was the most important hostage release in the Colombian conflict since 2001, when the FARC freed some 300 soldiers and police officers it had held captive.
Chavez said he hopes it opens the way for a broader peace process in Colombia.
Two white helicopters with huge Red Cross logos blazoned on their sides swept over the Colombian jungle around the town of San Jose del Guaviare yesterday on the new mission to pick up the hostages after a similar plan collapsed on New Year's Eve.
The release will bolster the standing at home and abroad of both Chavez and Colombian President Alvaro Uribe, despite weeks of bickering over the deal.
Source: China Daily/Agencies
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