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| Colombia rebels snub hostage bid | |
| (30 minutes later) | |
| Colombia's Farc rebel group has refused to allow a French mission to deliver emergency medical aid to the kidnapped politician, Ingrid Betancourt. | Colombia's Farc rebel group has refused to allow a French mission to deliver emergency medical aid to the kidnapped politician, Ingrid Betancourt. |
| The mission was "not acceptable" and was launched without the guerrillas' agreement, a Farc statement said. | The mission was "not acceptable" and was launched without the guerrillas' agreement, a Farc statement said. |
| France has vowed to pursue its mission to aid Ms Betancourt, who holds dual French-Colombian citizenship. | France has vowed to pursue its mission to aid Ms Betancourt, who holds dual French-Colombian citizenship. |
| She was kidnapped while campaigning for the Colombian presidency six years ago and is reported to be seriously ill. | She was kidnapped while campaigning for the Colombian presidency six years ago and is reported to be seriously ill. |
| "The French medical mission is not acceptable and much less so when it is not the result of a prior agreement," said the online statement, which was issued by Farc's ruling secretariat. | |
| "We do not act under blackmail or under pressure from media campaigns," it added. | |
| Exchange demand | |
| The statement called on Colombia's government to establish a demilitarised zone where hostages could swapped for jailed rebels. | |
| The French mission has been grounded outside Bogota since Thursday | |
| Farc wants to exchange 39 high-profile hostages for some 500 rebels currently in prison. | |
| Colombian President Alvaro Uribe has consistently rejected the request. | |
| However, his government has promised to suspend military operations against Farc in the area where many of its hostages are believed to be held. | |
| Farc - the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia - has been fighting the Colombian government for more than 40 years. | |
| French President Nicolas Sarkozy had announced the French mission after reports Ms Betancourt was seriously ill. | |
| She was pictured looking thin and frail in a recent video. | |
| France also offered to take in rebels released from prison in exchange for the 46-year-old, who has been held in the jungle since 2002. |