Seanad report: There was a strong case for Oireachtas members going to Colombia to attempt to secure the release of politician Ingrid Betancourt, Joe O'Toole (Ind) said.
He would welcome an opportunity to raise with the Farc guerrilla group the case of this politician who was being held captive for one reason only - she had been brave enough to publicly oppose terrorism.
Frances Fitzgerald, the Fine Gael leader in the House, said the article by Lara Marlowe in The Irish Times about Ms Betancourt was shocking. She hoped that the Dáil and the Seanad would pass strong all-party motions calling on the Minister for Foreign Affairs to raise the plight of this woman as a priority issue when he next met with his EU counterparts.
Terry Leyden (FF) commended The Irish Times for its in-depth article.
What was being said in the Seanad could be picked up on the world wide web. "Somehow, somebody could be listening in the Farc guerrilla movement who may have some humanity and release this innocent victim."
Mary White (FF) said she fully backed the idea of an all-party motion.