Today's Date:

COLOMBIA/FRANCE/PRISONER EXCHANGES

Q - Regarding the proposed humanitarian exchange with the possible dispatch of guerrillas to France with their families in exchange for the release of the hostages: what stage has this negotiation reached?

THE MINISTER - I should like to start by pointing out to you that this is my first visit to Latin America, and so Colombia is the first country I'm visiting; it was important for France and for me to signal our country's solidarity with the Colombian people, with Colombia who has been suffering for so many years. 30,000 deaths a year from acts of violence, 4,000 hostages taken every year: you can imagine the suffering of the Colombian people.

Against this background, it's important for everyone to mobilize and I wanted to express to President Uribe and every Colombian France's determination to back their efforts, to support them, liaising of course with the United Nations Secretary-General whom I saw a few days ago in Paris. We're keen to do our utmost to try and find a solution to this terrible hostage crisis which is tearing so many families apart and causing them to live in a constant state of anxiety.

INGRID BETANCOURT/HOSTAGES

I have just met, a few moments ago, representatives of families whose relatives have been taken hostage. I shall shortly be meeting at the embassy the family of Ingrid Bétancourt who was a student of mine and is a very dear friend; France will spare no efforts when it comes to this extremely difficult issue.

President Uribe told me very clearly: "We wish, we want to proceed fast, as fast as possible with this humanitarian exchange. We're asking France to help get this agreement". I told President Uribe that we were ready to do so, liaising of course, as he wished, with the United Nations. Today we are waiting for the first signal from the hostage[Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia] so that we can move forward. There has to be an interlocutor, the FARC must face up to their responsibilities to the whole Colombian people. Once they have done that, we shall see what the terms of a possible humanitarian agreement can be. It's obviously important for this agreement to be forged and decided in cooperation with the United Nations and all the countries which want to support the quest for peace in Colombia. We want to believe that with the release of the hostages, Colombia will be able to regain a future - Colombia, who is today held to ransom by the violence, Colombia, who is, day in day out, enduring so much violence, so many threats.

INGRID BETANCOURT

Q - Have you got any information on the state of Ingrid Bétancourt's health?

THE MINISTER - We have very little information and it isn't recent. This is why we think that today her case, like those of all the Colombian hostages (...), is a matter of urgency, an urgency I want my presence here in Bogotá to highlight./.