Betancourt second most popular politician in Colombia

COLOMBIA: Ingrid Betancourt, rescued in July after six years in leftist rebel captivity, is the second most popular politician in Colombia after President Alvaro Uribe, according to a Gallup poll released on Wednesday.

But French-Colombian Betancourt is still no serious threat to hard-liner Uribe, who may run again in 2010. She has no political party backing her calls for dialogue with the guerrillas who kidnapped her and are widely reviled for their practice of abductions. "Popularity does not necessarily mean electability," said Francisco Leal, analyst at Bogota's University of the Andes.

Uribe's popularity has slipped to 78 percent after touching record highs two months ago amid euphoria over the daring rescue of Betancourt, three American defense contractors and 11 other hostages held for years in miserable jungle camps. Sixty-three percent of those surveyed had a favorable opinion of Betancourt, according to the poll.

She was abducted by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, during her 2002 presidential campaign. Betancourt has not ruled out a return to politics.

The Gallup Colombia poll was taken late last month and had a margin of error of 5 percentage points.

Bogota, Thursday, Reuters