Following the article entitled "Renaud sounds the alarm for Ingrid Betancourt" held hostage in Colombia"(Le Monde, 26 October), Le Monde has received from the singer Renaud Séchan, aka Renaud, the following clarification :

Le Monde, who asked me for a copy of the lyrics of my song" Dans La jungle", a song specially written for Ingrid Betancourt and all the hostages, and sung for the first time in public on 24 October, summarised it as solely a criticism of FARC, responsible for the kidnapping and detention of Mme Betancourt and of all these hostages whether political or anonymous.

You quote, at length, verses of my song, that refer to my feelings and opinions implicating the methods and ideology of FARC but you omit to quote verses relating to Ingrid Betancourt's political struggle (which I support) against the corruption of President Uribe, and that of the majority of the Colombian political class, against the notorious collusion between, on the one hand, authorities and drug cartels and organised crime, and on the other hand, these same cartels of drug traffickers with various armed group, a struggle also against poverty and the war that has affected the Colombian people for so long. I never personally planned my song or my participation in this concert- or in any of those to come (alas..) nor my comments that are sought by the different medias only on the humanitarian aspect (the distress of the Betancourt family).

If this aspect is important to me, for emotional and humanitarian reasons, the fact remains that I am an absolute admirer of Ingrid Betancourt's political struggle, and all my actions and words have always matched this philosophy that inspires me.

For the record, the verses 'omitted' by Le Monde speak about the "forgotten and unknown victims of conflicts where on both sides barbarism is king… the drug traffickers, the corrupt government, an unworthy president for whom you are paying the price… so by singing for you Ingrid, I want to remember that you are fighting a double enemy".

You could also quote some words from the short text that I wrote and read as an introduction to the performance of my song, which stated in particular; "May this song strike at the heart, if they have ever had one, of FARC rebels as well as that of President Uribe. May this song kill the fascists that they are!"