By KUNA,
Paris : The EU Presidency, currently held by France, early Thursday expressed “immense joy” at the news that Franco-Colombian political figure Ingrid Betancourt had been released from captivity after a covert operation by Colombian forces.
Betancourt, who was a Presidential candidate in Colombia’s elections at the time, was kidnapped in 2002 by extreme-left guerrillas from the revolutionary “FARC” group and she had been held in a jungle hideout for six years before her release late Wednesday.
Three US hostages and 11 Colombian soldiers were also released by the operation that employed deception but did not require the use of force.
Betancourt is now in safe hands and will be brought to France, the Foreign Ministry said.
Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner left Paris during the night in a government plane, accompanied by Betancourt’s children and French relatives to bring her to her second home.
“It is the end of a long terrible trial,” a statement from the French EU Presidency said, evoking the horrible suffering of the hostages who were often chained by the feet and neck, especially in the case of Betancourt, who made several attempts to escape.
The statement here also thanked the Colombian government and all those who have worked for the release of the hostages.
But it noted that there were still many people held by the FARC. Estimates put that number at 700 of which 20 are political hostages.
Worldwide reaction to the news of Betancourt’s release was overwhelming, with US Secretary-of-State Condoleezza Rice saying she was “delighted” with the news and former French President Jacques Chirac expressing his “strong satisfaction.” Many other countries and governments have also welcomed the news.