The FARC, considered a terrorist organization by U.S. and European officials, still holds hundreds of other hostages, some of whom have been held for a decade. It wants to swap 25 high-profile captives for jailed guerrilla fighters but is arguing with the government over the terms of an exchange.
Betancourt, who was kidnapped while campaigning for the presidency in 2002, had not been seen since a rebel video last year in which she appeared gaunt and depressed in a jungle camp. The video provoked outrage as former hostages told how she had been chained after repeated escape attempts.
TOUGHER NEGOTIATIONS
The freed Americans all worked for Northrop Grumman and were captured in 2003 after their light aircraft crashed in the jungles during a counternarcotics operation.
Hours after their release, they were flown to San Antonio and taken to Fort Sam Houston, an Army post.
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, a self-styled socialist revolutionary who has been at odds with Uribe over his support for the rebels, called the Colombian leader to congratulate him on the successful operation, Venezuelan state television said.
The FARC had been pressured to negotiate after Chavez, its closest political ally, urged it last month to end the war.
Analysts said Wednesday's dramatic rescue increased the pressure on the outlawed rebel army.
"The only option left for the FARC is to take a more political approach to the Colombian government," said Pablo Casas, an analyst at Bogota think tank Security and Democracy.
"They will have to change their approach based on the success of Uribe's military policies. Even Chavez says they should stop their use of kidnapping and other violent strategies," Casas said.
Others said the humiliation of the rescue could drive the guerrillas to be more violent in an bid to regain military credibility.
The FARC wants Uribe to pull back troops from an area the size of New York City to facilitate hostage talks. But Uribe offers a smaller safe haven under international observation.
The outlawed rebel army, once a 17,000-member force able to attack cities, has been driven back into remote areas and now has about 9,000 combatants.
