Colombian rebels free four hostages

28 Feb 2008, 6:15 am   -   Source: AAP
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Angela de Perez, wife of freed FARC hostage Luis Eladio Perez hugs Venezuelan Minister of Interior and Justice Ramon Rodriguez Chacin (getty)

Angela de Perez, wife of freed FARC hostage Luis Eladio Perez hugs Venezuelan Minister of Interior and Justice Ramon Rodriguez Chacin (getty)

Marxist rebels have freed four MPs held hostage for years in Colombia's jungle.

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Marxist rebels have freed four MPs held hostage for years in Colombia's jungle.

It was a diplomatic victory for Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez who brokered the deal.

Venezuelan helicopters picked up the three men and a woman, all snatched by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, more than six years ago. They reportedly had been in poor health but were fit to travel, government and aid officials said.

"We want the relatives to know they are in our hands and safe and sound," said Venezuelan government spokesman Jesse Chacon, adding that Chavez had already spoken to the freed hostages.

The rebels handed over Gloria Polanco, Luis Eladio Perez, Orlando Beltran and Jorge Gechem, who is believed to be suffering severe heart problems.

"Our medics are giving medical attention to these people during the journey," Chacon said.

The release is a diplomatic victory for Chavez, an important regional player who spends time and money in efforts to unite Latin America through socialism but frequently bickers with his neighbour Colombian President Alvaro Uribe.

The handover also raised hopes for a broader deal to free dozens more hostages, including French-Colombian politician Ingrid Betancourt and three Americans whose plight has drawn worldwide attention to the rebels' captives.

The FARC last month released two politicians in a deal also brokered by the leftist Chavez.

He had spent months in talks with the leaders of Latin America's oldest rebel force, but after close initial cooperation, Chavez and Uribe have argued over his mediation.

Gechem was snatched six years ago when rebels hijacked a commercial aircraft he was travelling on and forced it to land on a secret landing strip before spiriting him away.

Polanco was kidnapped with her two sons, who were later released. Her husband, a prominent politician, was later killed by the FARC in unclear circumstances.

The guerrilla fighters hold hundreds of hostages for ransom and political leverage in their four-decade war with the state. They say they are fighting for social justice and want to swap their captives for fighters held in government jails.

The recent releases have been unilateral and are described by the fighters as a gesture of goodwill to Chavez, whom they see as a sympathetic leader.

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