Uribe said Tuesday that the mission would try to check on the health of the hostages held by the rebels. One of the hostages is the French-Colombian politician Ingrid Betancourt, who is said to be gravely ill.Uribe said he would suspend military operations versus the guerrillas to facilitate the French-led mission, which would also include the International Committee of the Red Cross.French President Nicolas Sarkozy made a direct appeal earlier today to the FARC to free Betancourt after six years in captivity, saying he would blame the Marxist insurgency should the dual French citizen, who reports say is in failing health, die.
