Colombian hostage is said to be in poor health

BOGOTA, COLOMBIA -- Former presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt, held hostage by rebels since 2002, is seriously ill with hepatitis B and malnutrition, Colombia's human rights ombudsman said Thursday, and President Alvaro Uribe signed a decree later that would allow the release of hundreds of guerrillas from jail if she were set free, Peace Commissioner Luis Carlos Restrepo told reporters.

The decree was a bid to speed up efforts at swapping dozens of rebel-held politicians, police and soldiers for jailed guerrillas after months of haggling over conditions.

Betancourt's health is "very, very delicate," human rights ombudsman Wolmar Perez told local radio, saying she was treated last month at first-aid stations in jungle villages controlled by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC.

Perez said his office was working with local authorities in the southern state of Guaviare, a guerrilla stronghold, to try to send medical supplies to treat Betancourt and other kidnapping victims.

The FARC is holding Betancourt and hundreds of other hostages for ransom and political leverage. Those being held include three U.S. defense contractor employees captured in 2003 when their aircraft was shot down in Caqueta state.

The rebel group freed six hostages this year in deals mediated by leftist Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.