The French and Colombian foreign ministers, meeting in Paris on Tuesday, discussed recent efforts to secure the liberation of hostages held by leftist rebels in the South American nation, the French Foreign Ministry said.

French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner and his Colombian counterpart, Fernando Araujo, spoke about Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez's planned meeting with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, to arrange a possible exchange of hundreds imprisoned guerrillas for about several dozen prominent rebel-held hostages, the ministry said in a statement.

France has led international efforts to secure the liberation of one of the hostages — Ingrid Betancourt, a dual French-Colombian citizen who has been held by the FARC for more than five years. Betancourt, a former presidential candidate in Colombia, was kidnapped while campaigning in southern Colombia and was last seen publicly in a video statement in 2003.

France has said it supported Chavez's mediation efforts.

The statement said Araujo, himself a former FARC hostage, told Kouchner of his experiences during his six years of captivity. Kouchner "paid homage to his courage," the statement said.