By Hugh Bronstein
BOGOTA (Reuters) - Ingrid Betancourt, the symbol of rebelhostages in Colombia, hugged and wept with her children for thefirst time in six years on Thursday after a military rescuethat dealt a severe blow to already weakened guerrillas.
The rescue was a coup for U.S. ally President Alvaro Uribeand raised the possibility that Latin America's oldestleft-wing insurgency is in collapse after it was duped intohanding its top bargaining chip to the military in the jungle.
Betancourt, a French-Colombian citizen kidnapped during her2002 presidential campaign, threw her arms around her two adultchildren, their eyes tearful a day after her captorsunwittingly freed her, three Americans and 11 Colombians.
"What I'm feeling now is something very close to paradise,"Betancourt told reporters at an airport in Bogota.
"These are my babies, my pride, my reason for living, mylight, my moon, my stars," she said. "Forgive me for saying it,but I think they are very good looking."
Her son and daughter, Lorenzo, 19, and Melanie, 22, flewfrom Paris with French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner assoon as they got news of their mother's rescue from theRevolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC.
Betancourt, 46, could not wait for them to exit the plane.She bolted up the steps to smother them in kisses inside.
She said her captivity in secret camps had driven her tothink of suicide. She was punished for several escape attempts,chained at the neck to a tree or made to walk barefoot.
Despite looking gaunt and depressed in photographs takenduring her captivity, Betancourt appeared in sound health.
The bloodless rescue operation increased public confidencein the iron-willed Uribe, whose father was killed in a botchedFARC kidnapping two decades ago.
He is hugely popular for his anti-rebel offensive and hisgrowth-oriented economic policies. The rescue shored up Uribe'ssupport at a time when many of his followers want to change theconstitution to let him run for a third term in 2010.
Stocks and the peso currency surged as investors showedincreased political confidence in Colombia.
The rescue followed the death of three FARC leaders thisyear and a call from the group's top ally, Venezuelan PresidentHugo Chavez, for them to negotiate for peace.
FARC "TERMINALLY ILL"
The FARC, considered a terrorist organization by U.S. andEuropean officials, finances its war through cocaine trade andstill holds hundreds of others, mainly police and soldiers.
But the outlawed rebel army, once a 17,000-member forceable to frequently attack major cities, has been driven back byUribe into remote areas and now has about 9,000 combatants.
"The FARC is terminally ill and every day it is closer todisappearing for good," Martha Lucia Ramirez, a congresswomanand former defence minister said.
The United States said it was aware of the rescue plan, butstressed that it was a Colombian operation.
It has given Colombia more than $5.5 billion in mostlymilitary aid since 2000. U.S. troops in Colombia often helpsecurity forces analyze intelligence and plan missions.
The three freed Americans, defence contractors KeithStansell, Marc Gonsalves and Thomas Howes were flown to theUnited States after five years in captivity.
In good health, the tall, slim men strode energetically,smiled broadly and slapped the backs of U.S. personnel whohelped them leave Colombia.
Betancourt was due to head to France, where she became acause celebre and top foreign policy issue due to hernationality through an earlier marriage.
Colombia said the rescue mission hinged on soldiers posingas members of a fictitious group apparently sympathetic to therebels. Supposedly they were going to transport the hostages toa FARC commander's camp by helicopter.
Once the aircraft was in the air, the soldiers disarmed twoguerrillas and informed the hostages that they were free.
"The only option left for the FARC is to take a morepolitical approach to the Colombian government ... based on thesuccess of Uribe's military policies," said Pablo Casas, ananalyst at Bogota think tank Security and Democracy.
The FARC wants to swap its remaining 25 high-profilecaptives for jailed guerrilla fighters but is arguing with thegovernment over the terms of an exchange.
Betancourt advised against pursuing such a deal, saying theFARC did not appear to be serious about reaching an accord.
(Editing by Saul Hudson and Frances Kerry)
