Betancourt arrives in France with tears of joy
Former hostage Ingrid Betancourt hugs an unidentified member of her support committee as she arrives at Villacoublay air base, outside Paris, Friday July 4, 2008. The dual French-Colombian citizen was freed Wednesday in a daring military rescue operation that also liberated three U.S. military contractors and 11 others held captive by Colombian rebels. (AP Photo/Michel Spingler)
PARIS (AP) _ Arriving to a hero's welcome in France, Ingrid Betancourt said Friday that she cried a lot during her six years as a prisoner in the Colombian jungle. Today, she said, "I cry with joy."
French President Nicolas Sarkozy and his wife met the French-Colombian politician on the tarmac of an air base southwest of Paris, showering her with hugs, kisses and smiles.
Betancourt, 46, became a cause celebre in France after her abduction in 2002 while campaigning for Colombia's presidency. During her captivity by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, supporters around France held candlelight vigils and benefit concerts to attract world attention to her plight.
Her release in an ingenious Colombian military operation Wednesday was greeted here with a flood of enthusiasm.
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