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Chavez: Colombian Hostages To Be Freed Soon

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Dec 26, 2007 11:00 am US/Central

Chavez: Colombian Hostages To Be Freed Soon

Venezuelan Leader Claims To Have Secured Release of 3 Held By FARC For Years

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) ― President Hugo Chavez said Wednesday that he hopes three hostages will be freed by Colombian rebels within hours, and that Venezuela has planes and helicopters ready to retrieve them.

"The only thing we need is the authorization of the Colombian government," Chavez said at a news conference in the presidential palace. "We are ready to activate the humanitarian operation."

Chavez said he hoped it would be completed "in the coming hours."

If the Colombian government agrees, Chavez said, he hoped the three hostages could be freed by the end of the day -- including former congresswoman Consuelo Gonzalez, Clara Rojas -- an aide to former Colombian presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt -- and Rojas' young son, Emmanuel, reportedly born of a relationship with a guerrilla fighter.

Chavez said that Venezuelan planes and helicopters -- some already marked with Red Cross insignia -- are ready to fly into Colombia to pick up the hostages freed by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC.

Chavez said he hopes another group of hostages would later be freed, including Betancourt, a French-Colombian citizen.

(© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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