By KUNA
Paris : French President Nicolas Sarkozy has expressed “deep disappointment” after the Colombian FARC rebels rejected an appeal to release hostages they are holding and who have fallen into ill health, among them Franco-Colombian public figure Ingrid Betancourt.
In a statement, the Elysee Palace quoted Sarkozy as saying that he wanted to re-assure Betancourts family, and all the families of hostages, of his “determination to obtain their release.” “France remains fully mobilized to bring back the hostages to their daily lives and to their families,” Sarkozy was quoted as saying.
Sarkozy also indicated that Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner would be sent to the Latin American region “to re-evaluate the situation with the leaders of the most concerned countries.”
No date has as yet been set for Kouchners trip, but a medical/humanitarian team sent to Colombia by France, Spain and Switzerland had been withdrawn.