Uncertainty Surrounds Betancourt

Pressure has further mounted on the FARC to release their highest-profile captive, Franco-Colombian 2002 presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt, after reports of her severely deteriorating health. The worse her health, the greater the liability she presents to her captors. The FARC are in a no-win situation, as releasing her would further boost public support for President Álvaro Uribe who has made great progress against the terrorist group. This has helped him weather the 'parapolitics' scandal, the ongoing investigation of which by public prosecutors has recently resulted in the arrest of Senator Humberto Builes Correa of the Partido Cambio Radical. 51 legislators are under investigation, presenting an ongoing risk for the administration.

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