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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| France calls off Colombia mission | |
| (about 4 hours later) | |
| The French humanitarian mission sent to Colombia to try to secure to release of the hostage Ingrid Betancourt is being withdrawn from the country. | |
| Colombia's Farc rebels said they would not allow emergency medical aid to be delivered to the kidnapped politician. | |
| 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, Spain and Switzerland, which were jointly behind the mission, said it was "no longer justifiable". | |
| "It will therefore leave Colombia soon," the three countries said in a statement. | |
| French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner will travel to the region "soon" to discuss the situation, an official statement said. | |
| President Nicolas Sarkozy had announced the French mission after reports that Ms Betancourt, who holds dual French-Colombian citizenship, was seriously ill. | |
| She was kidnapped while campaigning for the Colombian presidency six years ago. | |
| Exchange demand | Exchange demand |
| "The French medical mission is not acceptable and much less so when it is not the result of a prior agreement," said a rebel statement, which was issued online by Farc's ruling secretariat. | |
| "We do not act under blackmail or under pressure from media campaigns," it added. | |
| The statement called on Colombia's government to establish a demilitarised zone where hostages could swapped for jailed rebels. | 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 | 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. | Farc wants to exchange 39 high-profile hostages for some 500 rebels currently in prison. |
| Colombian President Alvaro Uribe has consistently rejected the request. | 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. | However, his government has promised to suspend military operations against Farc in the area where many of its hostages are believed to be held. |
| Ms Betancourt 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. | 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. |
| Farc - the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia - has been fighting the Colombian government for more than 40 years. |