By John Wilson Vizcaino
SAN JOSE DEL GUAVIARE, Colombia (Reuters) - Marxist rebelsfreed four Colombian hostages from their "living death" in thejungle on Wednesday in a victory for Venezuela's leftistPresident Hugo Chavez, who brokered the deal.
Venezuelan helicopters painted with Red Cross logos swoopedinto dense jungle, picked up the four lawmakers -- all taken bythe Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, more thansix years ago -- and flew them to Venezuela.
"I was the living dead but today ... I am happy, lucky,radiant," ex-hostage Gloria Polanco said. She carriedlong-stemmed flowers for her three children, adding betweensobs, "It's the only thing I can take from the jungle."
Flanked by armed rebels, the three men and Polanco trekkeddown a muddy slope of a jungle clearing near this steamy townand pumped their hands in the air to celebrate their release byLatin America's oldest insurgency.
They appeared generally in sound health, although one ofthe men, who had suffered heart problems, looked gaunt.
They also warned that the highest-profile of the dozens ofcaptives left behind -- Ingrid Betancourt, a French-Colombianwoman politician, and three U.S. anti-drugs contractors -- wassuffering from health problems and low morale.
Betancourt, a former Colombian presidential candidate whosecase is a policy priority for the French government, ismistreated, kept in chains, has a serious liver problem and ismentally exhausted, they said.
The Americans have jungle illnesses and injuries receivedwhen their aircraft crashed in the jungle while on a anti-drugmission in 2003 leading to their capture, they added. They werealso despondent because hopes they could be exchanged for rebelleaders in U.S. prison appeared to have faded this year.
Chavez, who welcomed the ex-hostages at a red-carpet,honour-guard ceremony in his palace, appealed at the televisedevent to the FARC's chief to move Betancourt to an area whereshe might receive better treatment and eventually be freed.
URIBE TALKS TOUGH
The release, welcomed from France to the United States, isa victory for Chavez, an important regional player who leads agrowing group of socialist leaders in Latin America and oftenbickers with U.S.-backed Colombian President Alvaro Uribe.
"The FARC should understand the Colombian people expectthem to release all the hostages in their power," Uribe said ina television address in which he thanked Chavez.
Uribe, whose father was killed in a botched FARCkidnapping, is popular at home for a U.S.-backed militaryoffensive that has forced the rebels from swathes of Colombia.
Venezuelan officials said Wednesday's handover raised hopesfor a broader deal to free dozens more hostages the FARC wantsto swap for imprisoned rebels.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy praised Wednesday'soperation and called for the rapid liberation of all hostages.The United States also urged the rebels to free all captives.
The FARC last month released two politicians in a deal alsobrokered by Chavez in the first such breakthrough in years.
He had spent months in talks with the guerrilla force, butangered Uribe and Washington by calling for the FARC to betaken off terrorism lists.
Hundreds of thousands of Colombians took to the streets inFebruary to protest against the guerrillas, who finance theirwar by trafficking cocaine.
The guerrillas, who say they are fighting for socialjustice, and want to swap their captives hold hundreds ofhostages for ransom and political leverage in their four-decadewar with the state.
The recent releases have been unilateral and are describedby the fighters as a gesture of goodwill to Chavez, whom theysee as a sympathetic leader.
The FARC reiterated its demand Uribe briefly demilitarize aNew York City-sized area for the handover of other captives. Hehas offered a smaller area for a prisoner swap.
(Additional reporting by Caracas and Bogota bureaux, GerardBon in Paris and Sue Pleming in Washington; Writing by SaulHudson, Editing by Pat Markey and Stuart Grudgings)
