Betancourt hails Chavez mediation
By Will Grant
BBC News, Caracas
Former Colombian hostage Ingrid Betancourt has personally thanked the Venezuelan leader and hailed his efforts to free those held by rebels.
Ms Betancourt, who was a hostage of left-wing Farc rebels for years, met President Hugo Chavez on the final stage of her tour of Latin America.
He was involved in negotiating the release of hostages last year, before Colombia dropped him as a mediator.
It said his dealings with the Colombian military broke international protocol.
"The voice of President Chavez was the voice which gave us hope" said Ms Betancourt, "in our darkest moments in captivity, it was the light at the end of the tunnel."
For that reason, the former Colombian presidential candidate explained, she was finishing her tour of Latin America by meeting Mr Chavez to embrace him and to thank him personally.
'Chain of love'
She publicly credited the left-wing Venezuelan leader for the release of six of her fellow hostages, and became emotional when speaking about those she had left behind:
"I want to say to my companions still in the jungle, this will be your last Christmas in captivity. And I want to tell them: have faith. Have faith because there is a chain of love being built across the whole continent which is going to help us get you out of there."
Ingrid Betancourt said that she knew Mr Chavez had been caused problems by his involvement in the hostage negotiations, but that she was here to show him that it had been worth it.
The problems she referred to were the fraying of already difficult relations with Colombia over his role as a mediator with the Farc. Last year, the Colombian leader, Alvaro Uribe, withdrew Mr Chavez's right to negotiate on Colombia's behalf, creating deep diplomatic tensions between the two neighbours.
Those tensions worsened when Colombia killed a Farc leader on Ecuadoran soil, prompting both Ecuador and Venezuela to suspend their relations with Colombia in protest.
'Sensitive issue'
Since then, the left-wing rebel group has been badly damaged by the deaths of several key leaders and the rescue of almost all of its main political bargaining chips, such as Ingrid Betancourt.
As for the group's future, she had only one piece of advice:
"The Farc must realise that there is no place in this continent for the armed struggle, that all of the left-wing governments that have been elected in Latin America over the past 10 years have achieved it by democratic means with no need to take hostages and even less need to kill."
Mr Chavez's relationship to the Farc remains a sensitive issue with Colombia. But the group's best-known former-hostage is sure that President Chavez's continued involvement in the process is vital to secure the release of those still languishing in captivity in the Colombian jungle.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7773643.stm
Interesting that while the BBC usually covers Latin America much less comprehensively than the US media, the US reports on this are very thin and leave out all mention of her special thanks and warmth towards Chávez for his help.
AP:
Betancourt meets with Venezuela's Chavez
19 hours ago
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Former Colombian hostage Ingrid Betancourt has met with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez as part of her efforts to gain support from Latin American leaders for the release of Colombia's rebel-held hostages.
State television footage shows Betancourt and Chavez chatting at the presidential palace during the during the sixth leg of a regional tour to seek support for efforts to free hostages held by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia.
The former hostage also visited Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Bolivia and Peru.
Betancourt was rescued last July after being held captive for six years.
The guerrillas are currently holding 28 high-value hostages, including politicians, soldiers and police. The state footage was broadcast Monday.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/art ... gD94UQFMO3
and VOA:
Former Colombian Hostage Meets with Venezuelan President
By VOA News
08 December 2008
Former Colombian hostage Ingrid Betancourt has met with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez to discuss Venezuelan support for freeing other hostages held by rebels in Colombia.
Betancourt met with Mr. Chavez Monday at the presidential palace in Caracas.
The French-Colombian politician has been on a tour of South American countries to solicit regional support for persuading rebels with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, to release their captives. The rebels are holding some 700 hostages for ransom or political leverage.
Betancourt's tour, which began last month, included her native country as well as Ecuador, Brazil, Argentina, Peru, Chile, Bolivia, and now Venezuela.
Betancourt was a presidential candidate in Colombia when she was captured by FARC rebels in 2002. She was held for more than six years before being rescued by the Colombian military in July.
Some information for this report was provided by AP.
And that's it, for US coverage. It's what you leave out as well as what you say that produces bias.
