Colombian rebels holding a former presidential candidate hostage said on Friday that they were still open to a deal for her release.

In a statement issued late Friday, Ivan Marquez, a member of the supreme command of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), repeated the rebels' demand for the government to withdraw troops from two remote towns in southwest Colombia before talks could begin on exchanging jailed rebels for Ingrid Betancourt and 60 key hostages.

"The liberation of Ingrid Betancourt and all the prisoners held by both sides could already have been part of history, if (President Alvaro Uribe) had agreed to demilitarize the municipalities of Florida and Pradera," said the statement.

"In spite of everything, the prisoner exchange is still open for the FARC," it added.

Betancourt, 45, was an independent presidential candidate when she and her vice presidential hopeful, Carla Rojas, were seized on Feb. 23, 2002, while traveling in remote Caqueta province.

Earlier, Uribe's office said in a statement that his government was ready for direct contact with the rebel group.

The FARC, the largest Colombian guerrilla group, has been fighting the government since the mid-1960s. The group is reported to have some 20,000 fighters.

Uribe, who was re-elected last year, promised to reduce the nation's violence during his election campaign.

Source: Xinhua