Fernando Araujo, who escaped six weeks ago from leftist rebels that kidnapped him in 2000, has been appointed as Colombia's new foreign minister, President Alvaro Uribe's office announced in a statement on Monday.

The appointment came hours after former foreign minister Maria Consuelo Araujo resigned following her brother's jailing on charges of helping finance illegal paramilitaries.

The former foreign minister is of no relation to her successor.

Source: Xinhua