Colombian hostages freed by Farc
Colombian and Venezuelan politicians are on the flights
Four hostages held by Colombian left-wing Farc rebels have been released, Red Cross officials say.
The hostages were handed over to a delegation sent from Venezuela to secure their release, in a deal brokered by President Hugo Chavez.
A Red Cross spokeswoman said they were fit to travel, despite reports that some were in poor health.
The four ex-members of Colombia＇s congress are among some 40 high-profile hostages held for years by the Farc.
Last month, two women were freed as part of a deal, raising hopes of more hostage releases.
In a statement quoted by local media after the latest release, the Farc thanked Mr Chavez for his efforts.
Firm stance
The hostages are Luis Eladio Perez, Gloria Polanco, Orlando Beltran and Jorge Gechem.
Red Cross Colombia director Barbara Hintermann said they were handed over to Venezuelan and Colombian politicians and Red Cross personnel, who had arrived in the jungle on two helicopters to collect them.
"They are in our hands and they are in a fit state to travel," she said.
Venezuelan government spokesman Jesse Chacon said Mr Chavez had already spoken by phone to the released hostages.
Mr Chacon said he hoped the release "will help us continue advancing on the path to achieving liberations of the remainder and of course towhat we all yearn for: peace in Colombia".
The Venezuelan helicopters, bearing the Red Cross insignia, flew to the undisclosed location from the Venezuelan border town of Santo Domingo.
The hostages are now heading back to Venezuela, where they will be met by their families and Cuban medical personnel.
Ties between Colombia and Venezuela have been strained in recent months.
But last month, Mr Chavez helped broker a deal to free two hostages, Clara Rojas and Consuelo Gonzalez, who were picked up by Venezuelan helicopters from Colombian territory and flown on to Caracas to be reunited with their waiting families.
The release will raise hopes that more hostages might be freed, among them French-Colombian politician Ingrid Betancourt and three US defence contractors.
French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said it was a "powerful encouragement" in the task of freeing the remaining captives.
Pressure for concessions
The rebels have long wanted to exchange their high-profile hostages for hundreds of jailed guerrillas.
Colombian President Alvaro Uribe has maintained a firm stance against the Farc, which is regarded as a terrorist group by the US and the European Union.
The BBC＇s Jeremy McDermott in Medellin, Colombia, says that with the release, the pressure on Mr Uribe to make concessions to the Farc will increase.
But Colombian Defence Minister Juan Manuel Santos said on Wednesday that the Farc was using its calls for dialogue to gain political space and discredit the government.
Farc rebels are also thought to be holding several hundred other hostages, many of whom were taken for ransom to help fund rebel operations.
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