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Mission abandons hope of treating Betancourt

A French-led humanitarian team has abandoned its mission after Colombian rebels rejected their request provide medical treatment to and possibly free high-profile hostage Ingrid Betancourt.

The French Foreign Ministry said there was no longer any reason to keep the mission alive after the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) announced on Tuesday that they would no longer unilaterally free captives.

A French government jet had waited on a Bogota airstrip since last Thursday with doctors hoping to reach Betancourt, who is said to be suffering from depression and hepatitis B. The mission was also supported by Spain and Switzerland.

In a four-paragraph statement posted on the Internet, FARC said it had already unilaterally released six hostages this year.

To release any more, the rebels said, the government would have to demilitarize two counties as the first step toward a large swap of hundreds of imprisoned rebels for dozens of hostages held by the guerrillas in jungle camps. Only as part of such an exchange, they said, would Betancourt go free.

Complicating matters further, the Colombian military announced on Tuesday that six soldiers were killed after straying into a mine field it said FARC had planted.

Earlier in the day, French President Nicolas Sarkozy’s office said he was “deeply disappointed” by the failure of the mission to help Betancourt.

“He wants to assure our compatriot’s family — as well as those of all the hostages — that his determination to win their liberation remains as strong as ever,” his office said.

From the beginning, the mission appeared high on hopes and low on planning.

It was hastily announced by Sarkozy after unsubstantiated reports appeared in the Colombian press declaring that Betancourt was at death’s door.

As the plane arrived, Betancourt’s family was elated. Her mother spoke of her hopes the mission would free her 46-year-old daughter, finally ending her six years of captivity.

But while the delegation remained grounded in Bogota, it became clear there had been no prior coordination with the rebels, still reeling from the March 1 killing of their public spokesman, who had served as a contact with the rest of the world, including the French.
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