Betancourt dedicates high honor to hostages

Former hostage Ingrid Betancourt received France’s highest civilian honor on Bastille Day and dedicated her honor to the hundreds still held in captivity. “My heart bleeds because my companions of misfortune, other Colombians like myself still remain in the hands of the FARC,” said Betancourt after she received the Chevalier of the Legion of Honor from President Nicolas Sarkozy.

Since being freed along with fourteen others earlier this month, Betancourt has been active in trying to gather support for the hostages still held by Colombian guerillas. Speculating has grown over whether she will run for the presidency in 2010; perhaps to thwart a possible third term of current President Alvaro Uribe. As the Wall Street Journal noted, she may represent a viable center-left option against decades of conservative and right-leaning politics:

Over time, Ms. Betancourt could provide much needed balance in Colombian politics. The development of modern left-wing politics in Colombia has been frustrated because of the association of anything leftist with the FARC…

In interviews this week, Ms. Betancourt said the main difference between her and Mr. Uribe is that he feels Colombia's fundamental problem is violence, which leads to social problems. Ms. Betancourt says she thinks it's the reverse -- that social problems such as inequality lead to violence.

Having met Betancourt during her campaign before she was kidnapped in 2001, she gave me the impression of being a headstrong, determined, and idealistic woman. Though her years in captivity have broadened her outlook, her basic political philosophy continues. This would be a huge asset should she decide to seek Colombia’s highest office.

Image- BBC News

Sources- Voice of America, International Herald Tribune, The Latin Americanist, WSJ.com, Time, Xinhua