John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
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Question 371: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the progress that has been made on securing the release of a person (details supplied) currently being held by FARC guerrillas in Colombia; if the Government has made representation on this matter; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41535/06]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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My Department monitors the situation in Colombia through our Embassy in Mexico City, which is also accredited to Colombia, as well as in cooperation with our EU partners with resident diplomatic missions in that country.

As the Deputy will be aware from my replies to previous questions on this subject, Ms Ingrid Betancourt — a candidate in the 2002 Colombian presidential election — was kidnapped by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, FARC, on 23 February 2002.

During the Irish Presidency of the European Union in 2004, the General Affairs and External Relations Council (GAERC) underlined the European Union's view of the importance of a rapid release of all remaining hostages and kidnapped persons in Colombia. In addition, Ireland participated at the international meeting, organized by the Government of Colombia, in support of the peace process in Colombia which took place in Cartagena in February 2005. The Cartagena Declaration, which issued at the conclusion of this meeting, called for the immediate freeing of all those kidnapped. Likewise, at the 61st session of the Commission on Human Rights in April 2005, the Chairperson's statement on Colombia, in the negotiation of which Ireland actively contributed, also urged the immediate and unconditional release of all kidnapped persons in Colombia.

The Minister of State with responsibility for European Affairs, Mr Noel Treacy T.D., met with Juan Carlos Lecompte, the husband of Ingrid Betancourt, on 28 June 2005, during his visit to Ireland. Minister Treacy assured Mr. Lecompte that the Government shares his concern about the plight of his wife and the many others who are held hostage in Colombia.

Ireland, together with our EU partners, strongly condemns the practice of hostage-taking and kidnapping and we call upon all illegal armed groups in Colombia to release all hostages immediately and unconditionally. We continue to support the Government of Colombia in its search for a negotiated solution to the internal armed conflict, including through direct engagement with those illegal armed groups who may be prepared to negotiate a peace agreement. We will continue to work with our EU partners to promote an end to the plight of Ingrid Betancourt and the other kidnap victims in Colombia.