France pledges to send aid for Betancourt

PARIS, April 2 (UPI) -- French President Nicolas Sarkosy said Tuesday he would send a medical mission to Colombia to treat a high-profile rebel hostage with French ties.

Sarkosy appealed to leftist rebels to also release Ingrid Betancourt, who is reportedly gravely ill, El Tiempo reported Tuesday. Betancourt holds dual Colombian and French citizenship.

Betancourt, a one-time presidential hopeful in Colombia, was captured by rebels of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, in 2002 during the presidential campaign.

FARC has been battling Colombian forces for more than 40 years.