(El Universal) - "French President Nicolás Sarkozy ratified his support to the role as mediator of his Venezuelan counterpart Hugo Chávez for a humanitarian swap in Colombia, according to a press release, Efe quoted.

Chávez received a telephone call from his French colleague. Both of them talked about 'twenty minutes on the mediation actions taken by the Venezuelan president,' stated the notice from the Venezuelan president's office.

'The French president ratified his support to the role played by President Chávez in search of a humanitarian swap in Colombia,' said the communiqué.

Sarkozy told Chávez that he was 'convinced about the advantages of a talk between President Chávez and (Manuel) Marulanda,' the leader of the Colombian Revolutionary Armed Forces (FARC)".