Alvaro Uribe, President of Colombia met a former Secretary of the French State, Nicole Guedj on Thursday last in Bogota. The Colombian government confirmed that Mme Guedj had conveyed a personal message from Jacques Chirac in relation to FARC hostages among them, the French -Colombian Ingrid Betancourt. However no details of the message conveyed by Mme Guedj, former French Secretary of State for Human Rights, were revealed.

" I met President Uribe this morning", stated Mme Guedj, explaining she had been "mandated by the French government to clarify matters so that there would not be any interference by the French government in Colombian affairs."

A series of meeting held between a French government envoy and a representative of FARC had caused a diplomatic incident between Paris and Bogotá: the Colombian government stated on Wednesday that the matter was closed.

"The misunderstanding has been cleared up. Both sides have agreed this. In order to continue efforts to reach a humanitarian agreement"< stated Mime Guedj.

"President Uribe contacted his Peace Commissioner, Luis Rostrepo, in my presence; Rostrepo is in charge of negotiations with FARC and I will be meeting him tomorrow", said Mme Guedj.

Asked whether Ingrid Betancourt would be freed soon, Mme Guedj, a close confident of the French President, would not make any further comment.

The former Secretary of State came to Bogotá to take part in the Biarritz Forum, an organisation that helps promote contacts between Europe and Latin America. Addressing 250 delegates of this conference, she stressed, "the case of Ingrid Betancourt has become the tragic symbol of the devastation experienced by the families of the kidnapped".

"An other French citizen, Aida Duvaltier is also kidnapped by a guerrilla group in Colombia" explained the former Secretary of State. Married to a French man, like Ingrid Betancourt, 70-year-old Mme Duvaltier was kidnapped in March 2001 by a small guerrilla group in Medellin (north west Colombia).

During his speech to the Biarritz forum, President Uribe asked FARC "to understand that he would not be able to demilitarise some areas", as had been demanded by FARC with a view to exchanging hostages for imprisoned rebels.

"If there is a humanitarian agreement, the Colombian government will be in favour of freeing rebels but not if they return to crime", he added." It is important that on their release from prison that they do not return to the ranks of their former organisation", he pointed out.

Yolanda Pulecio, Ingrid Betancourt's mother during an interview with the independent radio station RCN took the Colombian President to task. "President Uribe's answer seems useless to me and answers nothing", she stated. "I have been listening to him for three years, one day he says yes, the next, no", added Yolanda Pulecio before praising the "decency" of President Chirac.

The Parisian support committee is organising a sit-in in front of the Colombian Embassy. Melanie Betancourt, Florence Aubenas, the actor Jean-Francois Gallotte and Raphael Mezrahi, According to a statement from the committee, it is time for the Colombian government to start working for the freedom of hostages held by FARC. "For three and half years the government has done nothing and it has completely failed", stated the support committee.

Monday 24 October, at 19.00, an evening of support for the Colombian hostages will be organised at the Rond Point theatre in Paris. The family of Ingrid Betancourt will be accompanied by Renaud, Romane Serda, Julien Clerc, jeranne Cheral, Florence Aubenas.