(dpa) - French President Nicolas Sarkozy during a visit to South Africa on Thursday urged Colombia's FARC guerrillas to release Ingrid Betancourt amid growing fears for the health of the Franco-Colombian hostage.
"It is a matter of life or death," Sarkozy told a press conference in Cape Town, calling for 46-year-old Betancourt's release "without delay" and saying he was ready to collect her in person if necessary.
Betancourt was captured by FARC in 2002.