The Minister for Foreign Affairs will go to Colombia on Thursday to raise the case of the French-Colombian hostage in an effort to obtain her freedom.

The Foreign Ministry announced today, Monday, 23 January that Philippe Dousty-Blazy would travel to Colombia on Thursday to raise in particular the situation of the French -Colombian, Ingrid Betancourt, held hostage by FARC in that country.

According to the spokesman for the Department of Foreign Affairs, Jean-Baptiste Mattéi, Philippe Douste-Blazy will meet President Alvaro Uribe as well as " key authority figures in Colombia".

The bipartite meetings between France and Colombia as well as views of the humanitarian agreement between the Colombian government and FARC will be top of the agenda.

" France is willing to help"

The Minister must remind those he meets that "France is willing to help Colombia to head towards a humanitarian agreement that would allow the freeing of hostages, among them our fellow citizen Ingrid Betancourt.

The Former Green candidate in the presidential elections, aged 44, was kidnapped nearly four years ago. On 23 February 2002 during the election campaign, by FARC in the south of the country.

In early January, FARC refused any humanitarian agreement, during the term of the Colombian President Alvaro Uribe, between their hostages and imprisoned rebels.