LEMONDE.FR Colombian Defense, made the announcement from Bogota, indicating that the release occurred near San Jose del Guaviare in the south-east.
"I first want to give thanks to God and soldiers from Colombia," said the former hostage in a first statement on radio Caracol.
In an intervention from the Elysee, the French president to prevcisé Ingrid Betancourt was in "good health". Alongside the children of Ms. Betancourt thanked Colombian President and heads of state of countries that have contributed to the liberation of the hostages. According to the Minister
Colombian defense, two helicopters took part in the operation during which two guerrillas were detained. The minister said that the operation was underway last year, focusing on the intelligence work done by the General Freddy Padilla de Leon, chief of the armed forces, and Mario Montoya, head of the area was place the operation.
undercover
In announcing the release of the hostages, the defense minister has told the story of an intelligence operation and infiltration of very high level. He has stated that hostages were held in three different locations in order to enable their release, it was necessary for the Colombian armed forces to infiltrate the secretariat, the instance of collective leadership of the highest level of the FARC. In this context it was decided by leaders of the guerrilla movement to bring the hostages to be placed under the sole control of Alfonso Cano, who has been leading the FARC after recent death of Manuel Marulanda, said "Tirofijo".
The minister said the operation was conducted with the logistical support of a "fictitious organization" with a helicopter which was actually a unit of the Colombian army. The Colombian armed forces had also infiltrated, according to the minister, the head of FARC number 1, headed by Gerardo Antonio Aguilar, known as "Cesar", with a share of the hostages. The official was arrested while carrying, using the force helicopter, hostage to the point chosen for the three groups together and deliver them to Alfonso Cano.
At the request of President Uribe, an intelligence work on a scale hitherto unknown, including payment information and protection of witnesses, has been developed during the past year by the armed forces and the DAS (Administrative Department of Security) with the help of Israeli consultants, mostly retired officers of the army of Israel.
The Minister addressed to the FARC during his press conference: "We will continue to work for the release of other hostages. We call on current leaders of the FARC that they do not do kill, that they release the hostages and they do not sacrifice their men. "
A strong media mobilization for the liberation of Ingrid Betancourt, held since February 2002, existed in Europe. But l'espoir de la voir libre avait été plusieurs fois déçu. D'abord en 2003, lorsque Dominique de Villepin, alors premier ministre, avait monté une mission de négociation et dépêché un avion. Puis en mars 2008, lorsque la diplomatie française et le président vénézuélien, Hugo Chavez , avaient participé à l'envoi d'hélicoptères dans la zone où l'otage a finalement été libéré. La dernière preuve que l'otage était encore en vie, une vidéo où elle apparaissait immobile, avait été diffusée en novembre 2007.
Ingrid Betancourt, 46 ans, ex-candidate écologiste à la présidence de la Colombie, was a hostage of the FARC for over six years. The
Monde.fr (with AFP)
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