The relatives of hostages held by the Colombian Revolutionary Armed Forces (FARC) want Venezuela to grant asylum to any rebels who may be released as part of a humanitarian exchange, and would like Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez to act as a middleman, Colombian TV channels reported Wednesday night.

As reported by TV news report CM& of Bogotá, the request is contained in a letter sent by the relatives of a group of politicians in south-eastern Valle department. The policy-makers are held by FARC and form part of the 57 hostages intended to be swapped for 500 imprisoned guerrilla men.

According to such version, the letter was delivered by Bogotá's ex council member Luis Fernando Rosas to Venezuelan congressman Reynaldo García, AFP quoted.

"The idea is for Chávez to get the government (of Colombian President Álvaro Uribe) and FARC closer together," the news show added.

The relatives seemingly view Chávez as a "good-will middleman" for the humanitarian exchange.