PARIS, France (AP) -- Ingrid Betancourt has reiterated that she does not believe her freedom or that of 14 other hostages was bought with a ransom to their Colombian rebel captors. But she suffered so much, she said, that had a ransom been paid, "why not?"

Ingrid Betancourt addresses a crowd Friday in Velizy Villacoublay, France.

Three days after her dramatic rescue, the 46-year-old French-Colombian underwent a battery of medical tests Saturday, saying later that doctors "filled me with joy," suggesting that her health has not been permanently compromised from six years of jungle captivity.

"Throughout all these years, I've had a series of worries," she said in an interview on France-3 TV. After her day of tests by doctors at the Val de Grace military hospital, it is "total happiness," she said.

Betancourt, three Americans and 11 Colombians were freed in Colombia on Wednesday. She arrived on Friday in Paris, the home of her two children, to a hero's welcome.

Colombian authorities have described a spectacular ruse by the nation's army to free the hostages from the hands of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, known as the FARC. They have shown a brief film of the final moments of the operation, now being played on French television.

However, a report by a Swiss radio station that a ransom of US$20 million had been paid has prompted reporters to ask Betancourt what she thinks.

She dismisses the suggestion. However, her first reaction Saturday was: "If it were true, so much the better. Why not?"

"I suffered terribly," Betancourt said.

Her jailer at the time of her capture, whom she called Commander Enrique, was a man "of special cruelty," she said. "This wasn't someone you buy." Bound hand and foot and prostrate inside a helicopter, "he was humiliated," Betancourt said.

Disguised Colombian army intelligence officers rescued the 15 hostages by tricking the rebels into thinking they were preparing for a possible prisoner swap. The hostages were all put aboard a white helicopter. Once airborne, Betancourt's jailer was overpowered.

"I was very, very afraid when we were jumping up and down in this helicopter of joy," she said, explaining that she feared something would go wrong.

Betancourt said she was still getting used to freedom.

While showering late last night, the light was accidentally turned off and "I lost the notion of where I was ... I said, `My God, the FARC is back."'

Getting Betancourt freed became a cause celebre in France and a priority of two presidents, Jacques Chirac and his successor, Nicolas Sarkozy, whom the former hostage profusely thanked.

However, France played no role in the rescue operation. Still, the international publicity she received made the FARC understand that she had value

Betancourt was running for president in Colombia when she was kidnapped in 2002. Asked if she wanted to continue that quest, Betancourt shied away from the notion.

"I want to be available for Colombia," she said. "I don't know whether a presidential candidacy is the best option. I think there are other means to serve my country and perhaps in a more effective way."

//onblass.com/news1/ 

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