The French government and international community will join Colombian President Alvaro Uribe in searching for new ways to secure the freedom of the hostages held by leftist rebels in Colombia, according to DPA. "We will seek mechanisms to free the kidnapped, which are effective and do not involve giving political weight to terrorism," Uribe said Friday. Hours earlier, Colombian authorities said they had received proof of life of several hostages, including former presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt, three US contractors and 13 other people held by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). Uribe said the proof of life obtained early Friday from three captured rebels shows torture "similar to that observed in Nazi concentration camps." "I particularly deplore the case of Dr Ingrid Betancourt and of former senator Luis Eladio Perez. FARC carry out some of the worst torture terrorism in the history of humanity, you cannot ignore that, but within the agreed scheme we are going to keep working for the freedom of the kidnapped," he said. Uribe confirmed that copies of the proof of life will be sent to France because Betancourt holds dual French and Colombian citizenship and the United States. He reiterated his call to FARC to unilaterally free the hostages and hand them over, if necessary, to Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, who mediated in the process until Uribe terminated his functions last week. "Let them do it unilaterally, to the Venezuelan president, whom they say they respect, like. The Colombian government does not oppose that, we see that as a humanitarian gesture," Uribe said. He said he regretted that there was no proof of life for many other hostages held by FARC, but he said he hopes more evidence will come soon.
