Colombia hostage rescue to start

Caracas: Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez plans to send aircraft into Colombia on Friday to pick up three hostages from Marxist rebels.

The hostages include a former vice presidential candidate and her son.

Colombia's conservative government this week gave Chavez permission to send a convoy of planes and helicopters onto its soil to collect the hostages.

Chavez said the first helicopters would fly into Colombia on Friday afternoon. "It is the operation's advance party," he said.
It was not clear, however, when the hostages would be handed over.

Guerrilla leaders of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, agreed to hand over the three hostages in exchange for rebels in Colombian jails.