The former Colombian hostage Ingrid Betancourt returned to what she called her "other family" in France today as doubt was cast on the apparently daring rescue that won her freedom. Arriving to a warm embrace from Nicolas Sarkozy and his wife Carla Bruni, the 46-year-old, who was largely brought up in France as the daughter of a Colombian diplomat and also has French nationality, was welcomed at the Villacoublay military air base near Paris, where she flew in on the French presidential Airbus. But while she was still in the air, the Swiss radio station RSR broadcast a report questioning the official version of the operation to free Ms Betancourt and 14 other hostages - saying that money, not cunning, had clinched their freedom. According to Bogota, the hostages were freed in an elaborate ruse by Colombian intelligence agents who had infiltrated the Marxist Farc rebels holding them.
The former Colombian hostage Ingrid Betancourt returned to what she called her "other family" in France today as doubt was cast on the apparently daring rescue that won her freedom.
Arriving to a warm embrace from Nicolas Sarkozy and his wife Carla Bruni, the 46-year-old, who was largely brought up in France as the daughter of a Colombian diplomat and also has French nationality, was welcomed at the Villacoublay military air base near Paris, where she flew in on the French presidential Airbus.
But while she was still in the air, the Swiss radio station RSR broadcast a report questioning the official version of the operation to free Ms Betancourt and 14 other hostages - saying that money, not cunning, had clinched their freedom.
According to Bogota, the hostages were freed in an elaborate ruse by Colombian intelligence agents who had infiltrated the Marxist Farc rebels holding them.
ngrid Betancourt et 14 otages des FARC n'auraient pas été libérés au cours d'une action militaire, mais achetés au terme d'une opération de retournement et d'infiltration de leurs gardiens. Une information exclusive de la RSR. Cliquez pour voir l'animation Une source fiable, éprouvée à maintes reprises au cours de ces vingt dernières années, a fourni des détails à notre collègue Frédéric Blassel. Selon elle, le montant de la transaction est de quelque vingt millions de dollars. C'est l'épouse du gardien des otages, aperçu par Ingrid Betancourt nu et bâillonné au pied de l'hélicoptère, qui a servi d'intermédiaire depuis son arrestation par les forces régulières colombiennes. Elle a permis d'ouvrir un canal de négociations avec les preneurs d'otages et d'obtenir de leur gardien, Geraldo Aguilar, qu'il change de camp.
Une source fiable, éprouvée à maintes reprises au cours de ces vingt dernières années, a fourni des détails à notre collègue Frédéric Blassel. Selon elle, le montant de la transaction est de quelque vingt millions de dollars.
C'est l'épouse du gardien des otages, aperçu par Ingrid Betancourt nu et bâillonné au pied de l'hélicoptère, qui a servi d'intermédiaire depuis son arrestation par les forces régulières colombiennes. Elle a permis d'ouvrir un canal de négociations avec les preneurs d'otages et d'obtenir de leur gardien, Geraldo Aguilar, qu'il change de camp.
PARIS: A jubilant France prepared Thursday to welcome Ingrid Betancourt, the French-Colombian politician freed on Wednesday after six years of captivity by rebels in the Colombian jungle, while officials in Paris said that that the French government, which has kept her case high on its agenda, played no direct role in her liberation and was apprised of the Colombian initiative only in a general way. "We were not expecting that particular moment," said chief presidential aide Claude Guéant declared on France 3. "We were not waiting for the denouement at that precise moment." Guéant said that the French were informed of Betancourt's liberation only shortly before Colombian news reports started to appear. In contrast, American officials were "engaged in the planning stages," according to a White House spokesman, Gordon Johndroe, and President George W. Bush was kept apprised of the project. In addition, Senator John McCain, the likely Republican presidential nominee who had been visiting Colombia this week, said that President Alvaro Uribe and his defense minister had briefed him on the operation on Tuesday night.
PARIS: A jubilant France prepared Thursday to welcome Ingrid Betancourt, the French-Colombian politician freed on Wednesday after six years of captivity by rebels in the Colombian jungle, while officials in Paris said that that the French government, which has kept her case high on its agenda, played no direct role in her liberation and was apprised of the Colombian initiative only in a general way.
"We were not expecting that particular moment," said chief presidential aide Claude Guéant declared on France 3. "We were not waiting for the denouement at that precise moment."
Guéant said that the French were informed of Betancourt's liberation only shortly before Colombian news reports started to appear.
In contrast, American officials were "engaged in the planning stages," according to a White House spokesman, Gordon Johndroe, and President George W. Bush was kept apprised of the project. In addition, Senator John McCain, the likely Republican presidential nominee who had been visiting Colombia this week, said that President Alvaro Uribe and his defense minister had briefed him on the operation on Tuesday night.
Harrowing details about the captivity of Ingrid Betancourt and other rebel-held hostages in Colombia emerged today, as doubts surfaced over the official version of their daring rescue.The French-Colombian politician and other captives freed in Wednesday's military operation described casual sadism, inhumane conditions and even executions in the jungle camps of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc).Betancourt told reporters she was often chained to a tree and haunted by thoughts of killing herself during her six-year-ordeal. "Death is a hostage's most faithful companion. We lived with death ... and the seduction of suicide was always with us."Another former hostage, army nurse William Perez, said at one point Betancourt was so depressed she spent two weeks barely eating. "I had to spoon feed her, like a child, saying this spoonful is for Melanie (Betancourt's daughter) and this one for Lorenzo (her son)," Perez said.
Harrowing details about the captivity of Ingrid Betancourt and other rebel-held hostages in Colombia emerged today, as doubts surfaced over the official version of their daring rescue.
The French-Colombian politician and other captives freed in Wednesday's military operation described casual sadism, inhumane conditions and even executions in the jungle camps of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc).
Betancourt told reporters she was often chained to a tree and haunted by thoughts of killing herself during her six-year-ordeal. "Death is a hostage's most faithful companion. We lived with death ... and the seduction of suicide was always with us."
Another former hostage, army nurse William Perez, said at one point Betancourt was so depressed she spent two weeks barely eating. "I had to spoon feed her, like a child, saying this spoonful is for Melanie (Betancourt's daughter) and this one for Lorenzo (her son)," Perez said.
