Husband of kidnapped Colombian candidate vows to continue campaign

BOGOTA, Colombia (CNN) -- The husband of kidnapped Colombian presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt vowed Thursday to carry on his wife's campaign.

"In Colombia, there is a law that if you are not physically present but still alive, you can run for senator or president, so my wife is going to be in that election," Juan Carlos Le Compte said.

Colombian rebels kidnapped Betancourt, 40, a mother of two and leader of a small centrist party, on Saturday. The guerrillas from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia -- known by its Spanish acronym FARC -- also have taken five Colombian congressmen hostage.

A FARC commander said Monday that the rebels would free Betancourt and the others if the Colombian government releases about 200 guerrillas who are imprisoned on a variety of charges.

Le Compte said he has had no contact with the government. "We have no idea what to do in this situation," he said.

"My wife always says that to stop the kidnapping in Colombia forever, we need a humanitarian agreement with the guerrillas."

Asked about a one-year deadline set by the rebels for the government to release imprisoned FARC members, Le Compte said, "Maybe one year, maybe two. Maybe she's going to get killed. Who knows? Everything is possible here."

Talks aimed at ending Colombia's 38-year civil war collapsed February 20 when FARC guerrillas hijacked a commercial airliner and kidnapped a senator.

President Andres Pastrana responded by ordering the Colombian military to seize a 16,000-square-mile zone he had ceded to the rebels in 1998 to promote peace talks.

Betancourt was abducted as she was traveling by car to the former rebel town of San Vicente del Caguan. The Colombian government had told her not to make the trip because it was considered too dangerous.