Betancourt to be honoured in France

Former French hostage Ingrid Betancourt will be awarded the Legion of Honour on the country’s biggest national holiday.

Ms Betancourt, released from six years of captivity in a Colombian jungle last week, will receive the prestigious award July 14, Bastille Day.

She will also speak at the National Assembly, the lower house of France’s parliament, on Wednesday.

French president Nicolas Sarkozy’s office said today that Ms Betancourt, who holds dual French-Colombian citizenship, will be decorated with other Legion of Honour recipients.

Supporters across France held vigils to urge Ms Betancourt’s release throughout her time held by leftist Colombian rebels.

She returned to France soon after her release in a Colombian military operation.