Ingrid Betancourt’s former fellow hostages, freed with her during a military operation last July in Colombia asked her yesterday (Saturday) to use her“ influence” to obtain the release of hostages still held by FARC.

This group of eleven Colombian soldiers and policemen launched this appeal to the former ecology candidate for the presidency, at a celebration to commemorate their release, organised by the Bogota Military club.

“I am making this appeal so that people who are in a position to help free these fellow hostages, do so”, AFP was told by Captain Raimundo Malagon who was held for ten years by Marxist rebels in the Colombian jungle.

Referring to Ingrid Betancourt, this officer stated that the former French-Colombian hostage had the “leadership, the influence and the necessary international status to find a solution that would allow the hostages to return”.

Another soldier, Sgt William Perez, thinks that there are only “two ways” of freeing the hostages: The first is a military rescue. The other, is that we put as much pressure on the guerrilla so that they will release them and, in that case, Ingrid is the best placed to help”.

Ms Betancourt, who was kidnapped in February 2002 during an electoral campaign, was freed with fourteen other hostages during a military operation, launched in secret by Colombia’s President Alvaro Uribe on 2 July 2008.

Formed in 1964, FARC still hold 22 soldiers and policemen, and have offered to exchange them for rebels held in prison.