Colombia Friday sent a protest letter to the French Embassy in Bogota, accusing France of meddling in Colombia's internal affairs, the Colombian Foreign Ministry said.

The protest came in response to the French talks with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), Colombia's largest rebel group, for the release of former presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt.

The protest letter said Colombia wishes to express its protest for considering that these negotiations were held without bogota's approval, noting France has no right to involve itself in the "internal affairs of our country."

According to the letter, the Colombian government expects "France to respect the principles that have served as the guidelines to the relations between our countries and consult the Colombian government prior to embarking on any similar task."

The Foreign Ministry said the negotiations, held on Sept. 20, between French and FARC, tried to attain the release of Betancourt, who holds dual Colombia-French citizenship.

Betancourt was captured by FARC while running for presidency in Colombia's 2002 presidential elections.

The FARC has 63 hostages on offer in exchange for 500 imprisoned guerrillas.

Source: Xinhua