France sent a plane to a military airport in French Guiana to await the possible release of hostage Ingrid Betancourt, who has been held by Colombian rebels for more than six years, the presidential palace said Sunday.

Betancourt, a French-Colombian citizen held by the FARC rebels, is reported to be gravely ill.

Confirming a newspaper report, the Elysee palace said the Falcon 900 plane was at the Cayenne airport until Monday morning ready "for any eventuality" concerning a possible release of Betancourt. It added that France has no information on an imminent release.

On Thursday, Colombia offered to suspend the sentences of jailed members of FARC, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, in exchange for hostages, including Betancourt.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy "has ordered that a medically equipped plane be ready at all times (in metropolitan France)," for an eventual departure after the Falcon leaves Cayenne on Monday, the president's office said. "It could take off immediately" if need be, the president's office said.

The newspaper Le Journal du Dimanche reported Sunday that the Falcon arrived in Cayenne, capital of French Guiana, on Friday night.

Betancourt, a former presidential candidate, reportedly suffers from Hepatitis B and a skin disease.

Releasing Betancourt has become a cause celebre in France. The government said in mid-December that France is willing to take in Colombian guerrillas currently imprisoned as part of a deal to secure the release of Betancourt and other hostages held by FARC.

Prime Minister Francois Fillon said Dec. 19 that Colombian President Alvaro Uribe "indicated to me that he hoped France could take in (the guerrillas), and France indicated that it was willing, along with other European and Latin American countries, to do so." Fillon spoke at the time on Europe-1 radio. He did not specify which other countries might be willing to participate.

The Elysee Palace said Sunday that it had nothing to add to that announcement.

In Colombia, Peace Commissioner Luis Carlos Restrepo said Thursday that the immediate release of Betancourt "is enough ... for us to consider this humanitarian exchange is moving forward, and to begin delivering the benefits of suspended sentences to (jailed) members of the guerrilla group."

In return for the hostages' release, rebels would have to promise not to return to FARC, which has been fighting for decades to topple the government.

Colombia's largest rebel group released six hostages earlier this year to missions led by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and the Red Cross. But the rebels have been quiet about a possible prisoner swap since March 1, when Colombian troops killed their chief spokesman and 24 others in a bombing raid in neighboring Ecuador.

"For the moment, no concrete information allows us to hope for an imminent release" of Betancourt, her support committee in Paris said.

The committee plans an April 6 march in Paris and other French cities with demonstrators dressed in white.