Farc Released two Women Hostages

CARACAS, Jan. 10 (Xinhua) -- The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) rebels handed Thursday two woman hostages, Clara Rojas and Consuelo Gonzalez, over to an international mission led by Venezuela in the country's jungles.

Venezuelan Interior Minister Ramon Rodriguez, who was on the mission to pick up the hostages, said the handover occurred at 11:20 Venezuelan time (15:50 GMT) in a zone between the municipalities of La Paz and Tamachipan, in Guaviare.

The hostages are in "good conditions," he said.

"Our interior minister has just told me we are receiving Clara and Consuelo from a FARC command, " Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez told reporters.

Both women arrived from Colombia at Venezuelan territory aboard two MI-17 choppers at 15:09 local time (19:39 GMT) at Santo Domingo airport, in the Venezuelan state of Tachira, where they were taken to Caracas.

In Caracas, Rojas, 44, and Gonzalez, 57 were received by relatives on the tarmac. Rojas' mother Clara de Rojas said it seemed like a dream to see her daughter Rojas after such a long time, when kissed by her daughter.

Gonzalez's two daughters also had a tearful reunion with their mother.

"We are completely happy, the liberation is a result of Venezuelan and Colombian governments' commitment, everything was carried out very well, we are very grateful," said her daughters.

Both women thanked Chavez for his mediation efforts in securing their release and asked the president to "continue fighting" until all of the rest of FARC hostages were released.

Rojas was an aid to presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt in February 2002 when the two were kidnapped on the campaign trail. FARC guerillas had earlier pledged to free her together with her son Emmanuel, who was born during Rojas's captivity.

In an interview over phone with Colombia's Caracol radio, Rojas said her son was born in the jungle on April 16, 2004 and that she lived with him for eight months, until she was separated from him.

Consuelo Gonzalez, a former congresswoman, was abducted in September 2001.

Venezuelan President Chavez received Rojas and Gonzalez at Miraflores Palace in Caracas after they arrived. A military welcome parade was organized for them and their families and the ceremony was broadcast on radio and television networks.

Meanwhile, the international community hailed the liberation of the two hostages by FARC and acknowledged efforts of the Venezuelan and Colombian governments to secure the hostages' release.

Congratulations have rushed in from Mexico, Argentina, Ecuador, Brazil, France, Spain, Switzerland, the United States, and groups such as the European Commission and the Common Market of the South(Mercosur) among others.