Ingrid Betancourt, who was held as hostage by the rebel Colombian Revolutionary Armed Forces (FARC) and was rescued Wednesday, said the role of mediators Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez and his Ecuadorian counterpart Rafael Correa have played in the Colombian peace process is very important, but stressed that Colombia's democracy needed to be respected.

"Colombians elected President Álvaro Uribe, Colombians did not elect the FARC. Thus, in the same way President Chávez and President Correa came to power in their countries through democratic means, I am asking all of our brother countries in the continent to help us so that changes in Colombia may also come through democratic means," she said.

Earlier, the Colombian Army had rescued safe and sound Betancourt, three US citizens and 11 military officers held as hostages by the FARC, announced Colombian Defense Minister Juan Manuel Santos.

"They were rescued in an operation aimed at infiltrating the FARC first squad, the same that has held a large number of hostages for years. Through several procedures, we also could infiltrate the FARC Secretariat. Since hostages were divided into three groups, we managed to have them gathered at one single place and then moved to the south of the country, where they would supposed to report to (new FARC top leader) Alfonso Cano," said Santos.

The minister added that arrangements were made so that the hostages were picked up in pre-established place by a helicopter belonging to a ghost organization and that a FARC leader known as César and another member of FARC Secretariat traveled together with the hostages to hand them over to Cano.

Santos said the freed hostages are flying in choppers to San José del Guaviare, capital city of the Guaviare region.

"This operation, called 'Check,' is unprecedented and a proof of Colombian military forces' quality and professionalism," pointed out Santos.

The former hostages are: Ingrid Betancourt, Thomas Howes, Marc Gonsalves, Keith Stansell, lieutenant Juan Carlos Bermeo, second lieutenant Raimundo Malagón, sergeant José Ricardo Marulanda, corporal William Pérez, sergeant Erasmo Romero, corporal José Miguel Arteaga, corporal Armando Florez, corporal Julio Buitrago (police), assistant superintendent Armando Castellanos (police), lieutenant Vainey Rodríguez and corporal John Jairo Durán (police).