President Hugo Chavez met with a French diplomat Thursday as the Venezuelan leader seeks to broker a deal for the release of rebel-held hostages in Colombia, including French-Colombian politician Ingrid Betancourt.

Daniel Parfait, director of the Americas for France's foreign ministry, came to Caracas for talks ahead of Chavez's planned visit to Paris next month to meet French President Nicolas Sarkozy.

Chavez is trying to help mediate a swap of jailed Colombian guerrillas for hostages including Betancourt, a former Colombian presidential candidate held for more than five years by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC.

Betancourt, a dual French-Colombian citizen, was kidnapped while campaigning in southern Colombia and was last seen publicly in a video statement in 2003.

In a statement handed out to reporters, the Venezuelan government described Parfait as Betancourt's brother-in-law. The French newspaper Le Figaro has reported that he has a relationship with the hostage's sister, Astrid. The French Embassy declined comment.

Sarkozy's government is urging the FARC to provide mediators with proof that Betancourt is alive.

Chavez — whose role has been welcomed by Colombian President Alvaro Uribe — says he believes Betancourt is still alive, France's Paris-Match magazine reported on Wednesday.

"In any case, we have no information that would make me think she is dead," he was quoted as saying. "All the information we have indicates she is alive."

Chavez has repeatedly expressed optimism that a deal between the FARC and Uribe's U.S.-backed administration is possible, but numerous obstacles to an agreement remain, beginning with the FARC's demand that all rebels in U.S. custody be released.

Uribe, a conservative who maintained friendly ties with leftist Chavez despite their ideological differences, said Wednesday that he opposes any measure that would permit two prominent rebels currently in U.S. custody to return to Colombia.