The Betancourt release: Did France help or hinder ?

France is exulting in rare collective joy today. They cheered in cafes and bars last night when television interrupted programmes to bring the news that Ingrid Betancourt was free. France's most celebrated hostage has been released -- along with 14 others -- after more than six years in the Colombian jungle.

President Sarkozy dropped everything to make a live late-night TV appearance with her children and he dispatched them with his foreign minister in a government plane to Bogota. They are bringing her to France tomorrow. 

It's wonderful that Betancourt, 46, a brave woman, has been extracted by Colombian forces from the hands of the FARC guerrilla army which subjected her to an unimaginable ordeal. But it's worth a glance at failings in the French handling of the affair of the Colombian politician with dual nationality.

In a rare note of criticism, Le Figaro, the most pro-government newspaper, said today there had been an unhealthy mixture of private and public interest in the conduct of her case. Some French diplomats and President Uribe of Colombia believe that Betancourt could have been freed sooner if Paris had not raised the stakes with its heavy-handed campaign for her release. Who knows, but here's the story. 

Betancourt, a Colombian senator, was seized while running a quixotic campaign for the presidency in 2002. She had gone into Colombian politics a decade earlier after a gilded childhood and youth, partly spent in Paris where her father was an ambassador. As a student in Paris she entered the French elite.  Her tutor at Sciences-Po, the top political sciences college,  was Dominique de Villepin, who later became Prime Minister and remained her close friend. She gained French nationality after marrying a fellow student, who became a diplomat. She left him after having two children to go into Colombian politics in the early 1990s.

Betancourt was already a celebrity in Paris with a French-language book on her country when she was captured in 2002. De Villepin, who was President Chirac's chief of staff and then became Foreign Minister that year, helped orchestrate a big campaign on her behalf and he dived into secret diplomacy. In 2003, he ordered a military plane-load of secret agents to Brazil with the hope of extracting her. De Villepin had not bothered to tell Chirac or Brazil. France apologised to Brasil when the fruitless mission was rumbled. 

Betancourt became a national heroine, her memory kept alive with the relentless publicity. Her portrait has been suspended from townhalls, support groups formed and the media campaigned hard while for four years there was no sign of her survival. Her spirit of resistance and force of character genuinely touched France as details of her plight filtered out sporadically in videos, letters and accounts from fellow captives.

Nicolas Sarkozy re-doubled the campaign when he won the presidency, promising on his election night to win Betancourt's release. He went to work on all fronts, trying to deal with the guerrillas, putting pressure on President Uribe to compromise with them and recruiting President Chavez of Venezuela, his opponent, to mediate. In March, French tax-payers financed another military mission, this time with medical personnel, to bring back Betancourt, without result. In the end, she was released in a clever ruse by the Colombian armed forces.

Sarko had nothing to do with the release, but he has been praised today for keeping up the pressure on Colombia over the plight of "Joan of Arc of the Andes" as the local press used to call her. But there is also a case for seeing France's clumsy interference as counterproductive. "We didn't go about this the right way," a diplomat friend admitted to me, lamenting the damage that the affair had inflicted on relations with Colombia. The problem arose from the conflict of interest involving Betancourt's close friends who were running the show. De Villepin was in charge, along with Daniel Parfait, the French Ambassador to Bogota who was close to the family. He married Ingrid's sister Astrid in 2004 and he continued to run the case from the Paris Foreign Ministry.

Things changed when Sarkozy took over the operation personally in June last year, but his pressure and secret negoations raised Betancourt's value for the FARC guerrillas. It seems clear that they had little intention of giving her up. Uribe scored a clean sweep with his bloodless military operation. He had no French help -- but, again, who knows.

[Below: Sarkozy with Betancourt's children Melanie and Lorenzo. They were reunited with their mother in Bogota today]

Comments

[dot king]

The release of Ingrid Bétancourt and the other 14 hostages is wonderful news. That she is in better health than expected is equally wonderful.
It does look as if while the whole world was thinking the Colombian president was holding things up, going against everyone else, he was actually planning an elaborate if risky coup - and thank goodness, it paid off.
The FARC have now lost their two main leaders and some of their "high-profile" hostages. What happens next?
Did I hear rightly when Sarkozy offered refuge here in France for any FARC prepared to disarm? How is that going to work? Is it a wise offer? These aren't rhetorical questions - they seem like idiotic ideas to me, but I could be missing something.

[Daisy]

Maybe if Sarko had traded himself for the hostages....

Seriously though, in a week when the French military were doing things the wrong way, the Colombian army was doing it the right way. Kudos to them. They pulled it off even with CIA involvement (they never usually get things right). Uribe has at least earned bragging rights against Chavez and Sarkozy. Sarko didn't look too happy though. Maybe he was sulking because la gloire wasn't his and I am glad it wasn't because he would have been insufferable. I'm sure he'll milk the publicity tomorrow for all it's worth.

I admit that the campaign to free her sometimes irritated me. Not because I didn't want her to be free, but because it seemed to forget that there were other hostages; many of them poor peasants, soldiers and policemen. They didn't have rich and powerful friends to fight for them and no one seemed to care. Let's not forget there are still other hostages in captivity.

The French being as they are, the collective joy won't last and human nature, being what it is, it won't be long before the joy gives way to finger pointing and questions. Alas! Still, I'm glad they're all free.

[Mary Fernandez]

The hero of the story is Alvaro Uribe. Soft-spoken, brilliant and nerves of steel.

Chavez was funding FARC. It wasn't Sarko feting Hugo that made a difference. It was Uribe striking the FARC encampment in Ecuador and seizing their computers. (And, for once, give George Bush credit for all the money and support he's given Uribe in the fight against FARC.)

Now, if the Democrats could only pass the Colombian Free Trade Agreement (you know, that 'soft-power' stuff they're always going on about.)

[Dominique]

Cela fait seulement 24 heures et je suis déjà las de madame Betancourt. Elle est partout, tout le temps.

Pourquoi? parce que bien née, fille et amie de. Toute la classe politico-médiatique s'est mobilisée pour elle parce qu'elle est l'une des leurs. Dans ce petit monde où tout le monde se rend service, l'on n'hésite pas à mobiliser des ressources soudain inépuisables, à transformer une inconnue en sainte parce qu'elle a souffert, à faire appel à tous ses amis pour nous faire croire à ...on ne sait quoi. En attendant, les ressources sont taries pour les autres. Des centaines d'autres français détenus à travers le monde pour des raisons probablement aussi absurdes. Des milliers d'hommes et de femmes, français ou non, détenus dans des conditions déplorables, en France même, et la ...rien. Pas un encart, pas une ligne, pas d'empathie.

Madame Betancourt, tant mieux pour elle, est vraiment très bien née.

Mais de grâce, un peu de pudeur. Assez d'obscénité. Le phénomène Betancourt en France porte un nom : l'hystérie. Et Dieu sait que notre beau pays sait parfois être hystérique! S'y ajoute cette fois la dimension mystico-religieuse et Madame Betancourt y participe dés la première minute. "Dieu", "miracle", "piété", "prière", "souffrance", "dolorisme", "pardon", bref, "catholicisme", "sang", "larmes".

Toute la dimension sud américaine de cette véritable Cène nous saute au visage! Un véritable Christ, écorché et heureux d'avoir souffert.

La presse cherchera pendant quelques semaines à montrer que Sarko est humilié. Sainte Ingrid se tournera vers Sarko et toute entourée de son Aura, lui dira : "Nicolas, pardonne les, ils ne savent pas ce qu'ils font".

Sauvez nous! on n'en peut plus! vite Charles, un autre sujet...

(Sorry folks, i did'nt feel it in english)

[Gérard]

What a brainwashing France has had over this Betancourt affair. She is a spoilt aristocrat who deliberately got herself taken prisoner and we are supposed to see her as a saint or a new Jeanne d'Arc, financed of course by the French tax payers. She is on a trip, a more dramatic version than Ségolène Royal, and the French state pays for her fantasy. Amazing and we all fall for it. The gushing worship, the presidential airplane. C'est minable. Watching her n France 2 tonight, she is in heaven a huge star in France, based on what. That she's une grande copine of Villepin and the rest of our ruling class?

[Petit Louis]

Parfaitement d'accord avec Dominique. We are in the ancien régime. Une aristocrate fait son numéro and we the people have to kneel in admiration. Hasn't France got enough real problems to worry about ? This woman has manipulated us and been used by her high-flown friends to hypnotize France while Sarko et compagnie carry on their merry way.

[Romain]

Nothing much to add to Charles excellent report. Except a mention about Chavez who is giving a sanctuary to the ETA assassins, who try to refinance themselves through farc sponsored murders in Spain. What a nice diplomacy.
On a lighter note, I feel sorry for the French showbizz who will find the price of cocaine shooting up in no time.

[Joan Arles]

Don't be so hard on the poor woman. France has been gallant in the way that it has stood up for her and kept the flame alive over all those years. I don't see the British, for instance, getting so worked up behind a Brazilian or a Colombian who got nationality by marrying a Brit and has friends in the government. France has a universal spirit, don't forget. It invented human rights...

[V]

I fully agree with posters reminding us the many poor hostages no one ever talks about - or hangs banners on the Paris city hall walls, for that matter; and also with Dominique saying
"Toute la dimension sud américaine de cette véritable Cène nous saute au visage! Un véritable Christ, écorché et heureux d'avoir souffert."

and I was going to ask him if that reminds him of any one else quite familiar too :)

[Daniel Strohl]

"France is exulting in rare collective joy today".

Charles,

Your article is excellent. No doubt that everybody is happy of the liberation of Mrs. Betancourt along with several other hostages.

However, I am not sure that (all) of "France is exulting" - we have been submitted heavily for months and years to the Betancourt story in much details. However, in my opinion, one of the important "details", i.e the fact that the FARC held as prisoners several hundred not to say thousands of persons in addition to Mrs. Betancourt was barely mentioned most of the time if not totally omitted.

This evening, the news bulletin of TF1 and A2 started as usual at 8 pm. We watched it may be for five minutes, and were both of the opinion that we had got enough Betancourt information after this time lapse.

Therefore, we switched to other channels with no news and from time to time, had a look at TF1 and A2, to check if the "normal" news bulletin had resumed. Alas, both stations continued endlessly the Betancourt saga. At 8:26 pm, they were still going on - out of frustration, we switched off.

Conclusion : at least in this occurence, and I am sorry for Patrick de Carolis, there was no difference whatsoever between TF1 (chaine privée) and A2 (chaine publique). Both use the same tricks to try to get audience. But both overestimate the dumbness of a good part of the TV watchers ...

[Sam Young]

Ingrid Betancourt is free? Really? I didn't know this. I am surprised that it wasn't covered more in the media. It is such a joyful event and all of France is really happy. I hope she will at least have enough sense to write a book about her experience.

[razatork]

meh, the whole thing is ridiculous. I completely agree with Dominique, Gerard and Petit Louis.

Just noting that many of the journalists working in the major newspapers and on television also happen to come from that very same school (science po), indeed many journalists are married to politicians. Une consanguinité malsaine si vous voulez mon avis.

Sarkozy and de villepin's idea was to negotiate with the terrorists, just last week dominique de villepin was in caracas meeting with chavez.

Uribe chose another way, the same he always has, don't negotiate with terrorists, eradicate them. He was massively helped by two major experts in anti-terrorism namely the usa and israel. The usa were in the know of the operation, france only learned about it afterwards. Indeed this operation has "mossad playbook" written all over it.

Another big foreign policy failure for sarkozy who keeps fumbling it, some have noted the contrast between this operation and the débacle of the ponant. And yeah there is no doubt in my mind that the pitreries de sarkozy and villepin hindered the efforts. Someone please tell super sako that he is just a clown, and to let the professionals do their jobs.

And the mediatic circus is just abject.

@joan arles:
the only reason this woman received such a gallant treatment is because she has the right family and the right friends,

"France has a universal spirit, don't forget. It invented human rights... "

was that meant to be candid or ironical ?

[azloon]

this woman virtually handed herself over to the FARC during her 'quixotic' presidential campaign.

now, her eagerness to take the first 'chopper' out of town tells us a lot about her less-than-selfless motives in defying columbian authorities' warnings against entering FARC territory in the first place.

a real 'joan of arc' certainly would have refused to accept release until all fellow prisoners, those whose votes she was seeking, were released first. as john mccain refused release until all his fellow prisoners in the Hanoi Hilton were also released.

but we all need our heroes, and i guess ingrid betancourt will have to do for the time being. and her children have her back. a good thing.

[Mary Fernandez]

Azloon -

I agree with you. When I watched her children on TV with Sarko, I couldn't help thinking how horrible these last 6 years must have been for them. Somehow, I think Ingrid's first concern is Ingrid. She was reckless with her safety for no good reason. I have no idea what's going on with the Colombian hostages, but the three American contractors went straight to the hospital and are undergoing an intensive reintegration program. Nobody's seen hide nor hair of them since they landed on that plane from the jungle.

I'll give Ingrid the benefit of the doubt about her current behavior, but it seems that she's no sooner free than she's doing a world tour. (I hope she doesn't distract from Carlita's album. What bad timing!) Perhaps she'll have a massive crash later.

[Pauline M]

Azloon: "a real 'joan of arc' certainly would have refused to accept release until all fellow prisoners, those whose votes she was seeking, were released first."

From the reports I've read, I don't think the hostages knew they were being released until they were flying away in the helicopter. I know what you mean, but I don't think it would have gone down too well with the Columbians if she'd asked to be sent back for the sake of the other prisoners :-)

[Mary Fernandez]

Azloon (2nd Post)

Any bets on how long before all of France wishes FARC would take her back?

[qwerty]

I agree with all of the above, particularly Dominique.

A couple of comments:

1) Leaving Columbia so soon after being freed, she has screwed any chances (2%???) she ever had of carrying on a political career there, she’d better become a Euro deputy here

2) Mediatic circus: a typical bobo thing (bobos de droite et de gauche réunis cette fois). Lots of meetings, posters, demonstrations…feel-good stuff. Very French. It was certainly psychologically helpful for her (not at all for the other hostages of course), but probably delayed her liberation.

3) The French were not very cutting edge in all this, as usual, les bons sentiments ne font pas de la bonne politique. Misguided. Lack of intelligence des situations, intelligence tout court, no preparation, no sang-froid. Not cool-headed, unable to take calculated risks. They just can’t seem to get it together like the Israelis, Brits or Americans usually can in these sort of situations.

4) Uribe now has the Betancourt thorn out of his foot (the B family off his back) and has his hands free to deal with the Farc situation. I doubt the families of the other hostages have any clout to prevent him from acting. So it was definitely a good move for him.

Notwithstanding, she is an exceptional woman who’s been through a harrowing experience and I’m glad she’s free. Now for the others.

[Edward Johns]

Hallo Joan Arles
(France).. "don't forget. It invented human rights... "
Oh Really?

[Joan Arles]

To those who seem to be wondering, my remark on France inventing human rights was light irony. It's obvious that the resonance of the Betancourt case comes from the romantic French view that it is the world's beacon of human rights. Pays des droits de l'homme etc.

[Rick]

Dear Charles, Has Ségolène Royal been reading your column? Nous avons le droit d’être informés!!

[Fairfax]

I agree with Dominique. The whole thing just smacks of privileges reserved for the lucky few, sensational news, and mawkish bien-pensance.

[V]

Since we were speaking of Ségolène Royal:

"Ségolène Royal a estimé lors d'une visite au Québec que Nicolas Sarkozy n'était "absolument pour rien" dans la libération d'Ingrid Betancourt, des propos qui ont provoqué des réactions de mépris teinté d'ironie dans la majorité."

http://fr.news.yahoo.com/rtrs/20080704/tts-france-betancourt-royal-ca02f96.html

""Je trouve que c'est un manque de dignité totale" de la part de Mme Royal qui a estimé que M. Sarkozy n'était "absolument pour rien" dans la libération d'Ingrid Betancourt, a expliqué le chef du gouvernement à un groupe de journalistes au deuxième jour de sa visite officielle au Canada.

"Elle aurait dû écouter (le premier secrétaire du PS) François Hollande qui s'est comporté plus en homme d Etat", a ajouté le Premier ministre.

"Elle était comme une petite fille dans une cour de récréation", a également jugé M. Fillon."

http://fr.news.yahoo.com/afp/20080704/tpl-colombie-france-otages-betancourt-ps-ee974b3.html

[dot king]

Until the other evening when the Flash news of her release came through, I hadn't known anything of Bétancourt's background other than a general idea. I knew nothing of her connections in high places, but I'm still glad she's free, no matter who brought it about. I agree also that Ok, we've got the story well in mind now and enough is enough. But it's the Silly Season, and there's always overkill.

Like many above, it has always seemed to me that she sort of handed herself over to the FARC, she knew what the chances of kidnapping were and she greatly enhanced them, it was selfish and irresponsible.
In fact I'd taken very little interest in the whole thing and not bothered to collect info or form any opinion other than to wonder why the affair had a particular importance for the French. Knowing now that she is a friend of De Villepin could explain why Sarkozy has taken so much interest. They've always been in fierce comptetition. It would have been quite a coup for Sarkozy to get her out. Dressing up what could be no more than a one-up-manship quarrel as a human rights issue is not too glorious. And despite everything, Sarko didn't look exactly thrilled on TV.

According to the excellent young journalist from El Tiempo on Fr2 that evening, at the time she was kidnapped, Bétancourt had about 2% popularity in the election polls and possibly far less chance of equalling that in votes - it's roughly comparable to Arlette Laguillier here. Uribe can't see her as a political threat as he's gone to the trouble of rescuing her and they are politically speaking opposites from what I understand. Yet all her friends in high places in France are on the right. Hmm, curiouser and curiouser.

Yes, I'm glad she's free, and the others, but as I asked further up, what next? Now that the FARC have no real leaders, have lost their high-profile captives, is there not a danger they will simply dispose of, at best abandon, all those other cachet-free individuals? I hear the guerrillas are deserting in hordes day by day.

And what of Sarkozy's offer to give the FARC refuge in France? With the current immigration policy, how does that figure? And what, in the case it ever came to pass, do you do with people who are from very poor or peasant families, don't speak French, have been living as a guerrilla group in extreme conditions for goodness-knows-how-many years? These people are going to have serious social adjustment problems.
Politically and socially the offer seems extravagantly naïve to say the least.

They'd have to find them somewhere wild and inhospitable - how about Les Cévennes? : )

[Believer]

These comments are not fit for publication in such a fine paper as the Times.
Madame Betancourt is not Joan of Arc, she is France's Nelson Mandela and should be recognised as such. She must be the next President. She will be the next President.

[christopher muir]

A triumph for the Colombian forces. The country's Defence Minister was saying (on American PBS) that the operation was actually scripted like a Hollywood movie. The rescuers rehearsed moves, gestures and speech just like actors, each one assigned characteristics. Stanislavsky comes to the Colombian army! The minister wasn't too keen on suggestions that the US was involved. One interesting point: the hostage Betancourt, in her latest videos, appeared gaunt and ill - even on the verge of collapse. Now she looks quite healthy.

[Pauline M]

What, and have them disapearing into the caves?

[colin grayson]

civil liberty ..in france ? as john Mc Enroe used to say , you cannot be serious !!!

in the UK there is a huge row because the government seeks authority to detain suspects [ terrorism only ] for 42 days before they must be charged or released

in france ? as long as the authorities fancy ; I don't call that compatible with having civil liberty

[Daisy]

Look people, Sarko saved Carla's singing career from obscurity and mediocrity. You can't expect the man to do more than that, can you?

As for Madame Betancourt, she's on her victory lap. It's all sweet...maybe too much so. Let the backlash begin.

The reports of FARC's demise may be premature. Guerrilla movements have a habit of not dying but just adapting to new circumstances. That is why they are so hard to defeat.Humiliation at the hands of the enemy has a way of pricking one's pride and spurring one into action.

[christopher muir]

Azloon -

Have just read your post. To be fair, the hostages were taken to the helicopter(s) believing that they were about to be taken by the FARC to a new place of imprisonment. It was not until well after take off that they saw their FARC captor, Cesare (who'd been duped into flying), jumped upon and manacled. Betancourt couldn't believe her eyes. She had entered the machine as a captive and disembarked a free woman,

[Romain]

Radio Suisse Romande reports the hostages were bought back for 20 million $, funded by US.

[Eugene Orejarena]

I hope that Ingrid does not come back from France. She was a big hurdle to resolve the guerrilla problem and I hope that she realizes that it is better for the other 45 million Colombians that she stays away from "local dirty politics". I am happy that she is now a free person but as a politician she was ineffective, ignorant and naive, a very bad combination.

[Sandrine]

"And what of Sarkozy's offer to give the FARC refuge in France?"

Not gonna happen ! She's free now and supposedly France had nothing to do with that, so this offer is not available anymore. Brice and Sarko peuvent dire OUF !!!

""Elle était comme une petite fille dans une cour de récréation", a également jugé M. Fillon.""

Wow, field day for Vee ! Fair enough, I also think that (even if a lot of people think like her) she should have kept her mouth shut on this one.

"Nobody's seen hide nor hair of them since they landed on that plane from the jungle."

Well, from what they said in the news, they were agents from the DEA or another agency ? So I guess they're being "debriefed" right now. Their story is a little bit different from Ingrid's...

"She is a spoilt aristocrat who deliberately got herself taken prisoner and we are supposed to see her as a saint or a new Jeanne d'Arc"

"This woman has manipulated us and been used by her high-flown friends to hypnotize France while Sarko et compagnie carry on their merry way."

"a real 'joan of arc' certainly would have refused to accept release until all fellow prisoners, those whose votes she was seeking, were released first."

To Gerard, P'tit louis and Dominique, and er Daniel, and er Vee et toute la clique...

I too was starting to have enough of this woman in the news (yes I read the French news from here), but now it's all gone. I'm so happy for her and her children, I just can't understand why you people are so mean to her right now. Is it such a good idea that she comes to France to thank Chirac, De Villepin and Sarko ? I mean, if people are gonna spit on her, I don't think it's very wise.

I wish her the best in her life, but I'm sure it won't be easy. How can you recover from that ? How can you live normally after that ? And how can you survive the hate of people who actually don't know you, but decide that your life wasn't worth being saved because you deserved everything ?

You people make me sick !

And the palme d'or is for Mary Fernandez :

"Any bets on how long before all of France wishes FARC would take her back?"

I'm impressed, you guys on this blog really know it all, nobody can mislead you. You know that she wanted to be kidnapped, and now, how dare she accept to be free ONLY after 6 years ? I mean clearly she should've stayed for at least ten more years to deserve any recognition. Everybody knows it's like a summer camp over there... And look at her ! You know that nothing happened to her, she's freaking speaking all the time ! Therefore she's in a very good shape... Why for Christ's sake isn't she lying in a hospital ? Why does she want to go to France ? I mean, it's not like the French people helped her a lot, only the Columbians have done stuff to help her, you know, marches and prayers and sending messages through radiowaves... It's clear that she's only going to France to visit Paris and stay in 5 star hotel paid by the French. What a bitch ! (Charles, you can erase that last word if you think it's offensive).

[Alison]

I'm finding it very amusing how the French media are trying to cover this - ignoring the help given by the Israelians and - oh mon dieu! the CIA - while at the same time trying to insinuate that the French efforts, although not very apparently effective, were indeed the deciding factor.

[Sandrine]

"but as a politician she was ineffective, ignorant and naive, a very bad combination."

Are you serious ? We have that here too, and it seems to work in France !!! Look at all the happy French on this blog...

[Sandrine]

"And what of Sarkozy's offer to give the FARC refuge in France? With the current immigration policy, how does that figure? "

Oups, my bad ! I just read that the offer is still available. It's what we call here "l'immigration choisie" ! It's Sarko's new policy... I say bring them on ! They have a lot to teach to our "djeuns" in the banlieue !

[azloon]

[To be fair, the hostages were taken to the helicopter(s) believing that they were about to be taken by the FARC to a new place of imprisonment.] Christopher Muir

yeah, i know. but let's ask ourselves, would she have hd the slightest inclination to remain behind in favor of others' release who had been imprisoned longer than she. surely she realized her celebrity status was she reason she was getting this attention, and was happy to exploit it.

hey, i would have jumped on board too. even if i had been a publicity-crazed, misguided politico who'd defied orders to stay out of FARC territory and as a result got my ass handed to me.

but lets stop this heroine nonsense. she sounds like a bit of a nut case to me. she ought to have to pay the expense of the military operation, much as careless, injured hikers are required to do here who end up having to be helicoptered out of our grand canyon.

but it makes for great theatre. anyone care to wager whether this 'champion of he columbian people' ever sets foot in that country again?

[PAUL]

Whenever I feel the slightest temptation to criticize Nicolas Sarkozy I just say to myself, "Ségolène Royal". It always works like a charm. That woman must be sucking a lemon all her life.

[V]

"she is France's Nelson Mandela and should be recognised as such. She must be the next President. She will be the next President."

LOL. I remember I.Bentancourt was a nearly unknown colombian politician 7 years ago, running for presidency with no chance at all, with something like 1% popularity.

This might give ideas to our own Besancenot: if he ever wants to be able to pretend to fame and holiness, and why not, electoral votes, martyrdom could be a solution: he could leave for Colombia and offer himself as a prisoner to the FARC. He won't be quite so much regreted, I dare say! :)

"but as a politician she was ineffective, ignorant and naive, a very bad combination."

Quizz of the day! Who said the following, and about whom:

« Elle a eu son heure. L'histoire ne repasse pas les plats. Tel que c'est parti pour elle, c'est fichu. »

:)

[derw]

It's telling of the dearth of good news in France that such an event provokes such happiness. And this is not due to media indoctrination in my case, as I only heard the news on the radio in the morning and only saw the (brief) Canal+ JT, and yet it was what everyone was all talking about last night Chez George.

The question of French involvement is perhaps for a later date, and one would hope that any debate is framed cogently, much as Charles makes a good effort of doing above.

But as this is France, Ségolène has already struck the first blow which is symptomatic of the punch and judy ideological nonsense-driven politics that prevails to a far greater extent in France than in Britain.

Of course, Sarkozy does merit an enormous measure of his unpopularity, indeed it's difficult to argue that he hasn't actively sought it. But the simple fact is that he is criticized for absolutely everything he does, much as Gordon Brown is now being pilloried in Britain after making a relatively small number of cock-ups.

We should enjoy the feel good factor this story brings (not least for all the families involved) before returning to the usual ruthless political introspection.

[Daniel Strohl]

Qwerty,

"as Brits or Americans usually can in these sort of situations"

As far as I am aware, there were (and still are) American hostages detained by the FARCS. Did the American launch a massive commando attack in the Colombian jungle, backed up by the bulk of the 6.th Fleet cruising off Colombia, to show the Froggies how to handle such situations ? If this actually did happen, nobody noticed, not even Fox News :))

I have also memories for example of fumbled American commando actions in Iran many years ago, as well as in the horn of Africa later on.

Regarding the British, I do not know if some of their nationals are also detained by the Farcs. Therefore, I will abstain from ironical comments.

This is to say that it is very easy to make "humour", especially with events dating almost 70 years back - this seems to be a kind of merry (and undangerous) sport for some most of the time rather ancient bloggers :))

I know that intellectual modesty is often not a quality belonging to French character strenghts. But this quality does not always appear to be predominant either over the pond or over the (British) channel :))

PS : Qwerty, nothing personal! Furthermore, as far as I know, you are a (continental) European citizen ...

[Cris Bueno]

En este conflicto que vive Colombia me alegro por ellos prero hay que abogar a una sola voz por la liberacion de los demas secuestrados que piden libertad. libertad , libertad.
Solidarizo con los muertos en este conflicto sus familiares y nos unamos este 20 de Julio con los simbolos patrios. Que orgulloso me siento de ser Colombiano.

[Daniel Strohl]

Romain,

"Radio Suisse Romande reports the hostages were bought back for 20 million $, funded by US".

Romain, you should immediately discard this "information", since it is given by Radio Suisse Romande. If it had been given by my quasi neighbours of the Alemanic Swiss Radio, you could (and should) believe it 110 % :))

More seriously : the whole story is not very clear - may be CHARLES had a premonition when he wrote at the very end of his article :"-- but, again, who knows".

One may almost safely presume that big money (and may be not always "clean" money) was involved on various sides.

[Daisy]

She just arrived back in France to a welcome by the royal couple. It's hilarious how Kouchner seems to be in every shot. You'd think he rescued her himself with the way he's glued himself to her.

The French made a lot of noise but ultimately had no part in this rescue but Sarko will get his photo-ops. Bush didn't say a word and helped get the job done. It's funny that even John MacCain knew about it before the French.

[Ben]

Congratulations to the Colombians for a job well done. At the same time it is possible that nothing would have been done without French pressure. If this makes government functionaries uncomfortable, then they should have acted many years earlier.

[marc millier]

nous ne savons pas encore toute l'histoire de la libération d'Ingrid.!!!

Sarko fait son show à la tv.
Comme d'habitude.

[Linda]

I'm really happy that Mme Betancourt is free. But, I cannot help but wonder this. If she wasn't well connected to the French elite, wouldn't she still be stuck in the jungle ? Something to think about, for sure.

[Romain]

Daniel,

I like Radio Suisse Romande, because they speak really slow, and I can understand almost everything. Y a pas le feu au lac ! lol
My German is very rusty anyway.

[Daisy]

Whatever her sins and failings were/are, she certainly paid a high price in return. Six years in the jungle is no holiday. I am sure the campaign to rescue her and her ties to the "elites" were double-edged swords as they only made her more "valuable" to her captors, which probably prolonged her captivity.

She probably feels she has to show her gratitude for all the support but I just hope she doesn't prolong the victory lap. Her voice is starting to take on a distinctly Segolene-ish, pleading quality.

[dada]

http://fr.youtube.com/watch?v=krF3y_S0gi0