Betancourt: Uribe is a very good president

Just hours after being rescued from six years of being held hostage by the FARC, Ingrid Betancourt answered questions by the press. One of the most surprising things she said was that she supported President Uribe and his controversial reelection in 2002, which is the subject of hot debate at the moment in Colombia.

Ingrid said the she felt the re-election of Uribe had served to deny the FARC the kind of "breathing space" they normally had thanks to changes between tough and more easy going governments. "Uribe is a very, very good president," the former senator said.

Ms Betancourt ran against Uribe in the 2002 elections and her mother often clashed with the Uribe government over its hard line policy on the FARC.

Asked what she would do now, she said she planned to be "one more soldier in the service of the fatherland."

She also said that mediation in negotiating releases by the FARC by the presidents Hugo Chavez and Rafael Correa was very important, but she added they must respect the Colombian democracy. The Colombians elected Uribe not the FARC," Betancourt said.

She thanked the army for her rescue extensively, and prayed on her knees with her mother before the press conference.

Addressing the French in their own language, she said she held them in her heart throughout her captivity and thanked the country for caring for her children. She said would visit France soon and thanked both presidents Sarkozy and Chirac.