Betancourt could be outside Colombia

BOGOTA, Feb. 21 (UPI) -- Former Colombian presidential hopeful Ingrid Betancourt -- abducted by leftist rebels -- could be out of the country, said President Alvaro Uribe.

Uribe said Wednesday that Betancourt, kidnapped in 2002, could be in any one of the nations bordering Colombia. He said the government had been examining the possibility that her captors have moved to Colombia, El Tiempo reported.

Colombia's leftist rebels have been battling government forces for more than 40 years, and use kidnapping and drug trafficking to generate revenue.