German Chancellor Angela Merkel congratulated Colombian President Alvaro Uribe Thursday on the freeing by government forces of the politician Ingrid Betancourt and other hostages held by left-wing FARC rebels, reported dpa.
Merkel also paid tribute to the role played by French President Nicolas Sarkozy in freeing the former presidential candidate, who holds French as well as Colombian citizenship.
The freeing of the hostages was the result of Uribe's firm policies to "implement the rule of law, peace and freedom in your country," Merkel wrote to the Colombian president.
Merkel expressed the hope that other hostages held by FARC, which she described as a criminal organization, would soon be freed.