Columbia's FARC guerrillas released a video in which the captured presidential candidate Ms Ingrid Betancourt is shown blaming President Andres Pastrana's administration for her kidnapping five months ago.
Extracts from the video, released yesterday by the group, was the first proof that Ms Betancourt may still be alive since she was kidnapped on February 23rd.
Shown last night on Colombia's Noticias Uno television, the recording, made somewhere in the jungles of southern Colombia and said to have been shot on May 15th, shows Ms Betancourt looking visibly haggard, with her running mate for the May 26th elections Clara Rojas, who was kidnapped with her, at her side.
The video includes footage of Ms Betancourt calling on Colombian Attorney General Edgardo Maya to investigate the circumstances of her kidnapping and criticising the government of President Andres Pastrana for failing to adopt any policies towards Colombia's kidnap victims.
Ms Betancourt (40) is also shown criticising the armed forces for refusing to allow her to use the helicopter shuttles that had been laid on for the press to visit San Vicente del Caguan - the town were the FARC and the government held peace negotiations which had been broken off only days before her kidnapping.
Faced with the refusal, the outspoken former senator - whose political party ran the local government in San Vicente - chose to try and reach the town by road, a decision which led directly to her being taken hostage.
Interior Minister Armando Estrada immediately called a press conference to welcome the visual proof that Ms Betancourt was alive, but also to dispute her accusations, saying that she chose to dismiss government warnings to stay away from San Vicente.
FARC commanders have said it will hold Ms Betancourt and other politicians they have snatched until the government agrees to swap jailed guerrillas for the hostages the group holds.
The government has repeatedly ruled out such a deal.
AFP