Costa Rican President Oscar Arias has sent a letter showing full support to the French government in its attempt to negotiate the release of the 16 hostages held by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, since February 2002, said a statement from Costa Rica's Casa Presidencial.

French Prime Minister Fraçois Fillon this week met with Latin American leaders, and topping his agenda were negotiations to see hostages including French national Ingrid Betancourt, also a former Colombian Senator, freed.

Arias' letter to French President Nicolas Sarkozy encouraged France's efforts, stressing the need for peace in Colombia.

“War is the worst form of oppression. (…) The Colombian people, brothers and nearly neighbors of Costa Rica, have for years demanded to be free from violent killing, kidnapping, attacks and threats,” said the letter addressed to French President Nicolas Sarkozy.

“I am president of a country without a military, where all conflict is resolved through dialogue and democratic institutions, not weapons. I will never admonish dialogue with FARC, for dialogue with an adversary – or an enemy even — is the only way to achieve progress toward peace,” it said.

“It is always time for peace; I hope the time has come for Colombia.”

Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez had played an active role in mediating a swap of captives between FARC and the Colombian government for three months until diplomatic relations between Venezuela and Colombia collapsed.

Alvaro Uribe, president of Colombia, turned down FARC's demand to demilitarize two towns in southwest Colombia, and has insisted that the insurgents release all hostages “unconditionally and unilaterally,” newswire EFE reported yesterday.

French daily Le Figaro quoted Uribe saying, “If the FARC wants to deliver the hostages to French President Sarkozy or the Venezuelan authorities, our government would welcome those unilateral and unconditional releases.”