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| Escaped hostage named Colombia FM | Escaped hostage named Colombia FM |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| Colombia's President Alvaro Uribe has named Fernando Araujo as foreign minister, weeks after he escaped from six years being held captive by rebels. | Colombia's President Alvaro Uribe has named Fernando Araujo as foreign minister, weeks after he escaped from six years being held captive by rebels. |
| He was held hostage by the left-wing Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc) until he fled last month. | He was held hostage by the left-wing Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc) until he fled last month. |
| Mr Araujo was one of 59 high-profile hostages held by the guerrillas. | Mr Araujo was one of 59 high-profile hostages held by the guerrillas. |
| He will replace Maria Consuelo Araujo - no relation - who resigned after her brother was arrested on suspicion of links with paramilitaries. | He will replace Maria Consuelo Araujo - no relation - who resigned after her brother was arrested on suspicion of links with paramilitaries. |
| Prison break | |
| Mr Araujo had been captured in December 2000, while jogging on the beach in Cartagena, his home town. | |
| He escaped on 7 January this year during a military operation aimed at securing his release. | |
| He bolted from the jungle prison where he was being held as a gunbattle erupted around him. | |
| "The president of the republic informs his compatriots that he has designated as Foreign Minister Fernando Araujo Perdomo," Mr Uribe's office said in a statement. | "The president of the republic informs his compatriots that he has designated as Foreign Minister Fernando Araujo Perdomo," Mr Uribe's office said in a statement. |
| The statement called Mr Araujo "a reflective citizen, who has suffered in this national tragedy". | The statement called Mr Araujo "a reflective citizen, who has suffered in this national tragedy". |
| He previously served as trade minister in the government of Mr Uribe's predecessor, Andres Pastrana. | |
| Resignation | Resignation |
| Earlier on Monday, Maria Consuela Araujo stepped down as foreign minister after the arrest of her brother - also named Araujo. | |
| Alvaro Araujo, a senator, became the highest-ranked politician arrested on suspicion of links with paramilitary groups. | |
| I am leaving for one reason: because I am not attached to my job, but rather what is best for the country Maria Consuela Araujo Ms Araujo's father is also being investigated for alleged paramilitary links. | |
| The right-wing armed groups are accused of drug trafficking and massacres. | The right-wing armed groups are accused of drug trafficking and massacres. |
| Confirming her resignation, Ms Araujo said the judicial process needed to take its natural course. | |
| "I am leaving for one reason: because I am not attached to my job, but rather what is best for the country." | |
| They have been involved in a long-running conflict with state forces and left-wing rebel forces. | They have been involved in a long-running conflict with state forces and left-wing rebel forces. |
| Tens of thousands of civilians have been killed in the fighting. | Tens of thousands of civilians have been killed in the fighting. |
| Senator Araujo's arrest was ordered last Thursday by the Supreme Court, along with those of five other members of the coalition that backs the government. | |
| Three other lawmakers were jailed in November for links to paramilitaries. | |
| Some of the evidence against politicians came from a laptop belonging to a senior paramilitary warlord known as Jorge 40, or Rodrigo Tovar Pupo. | |
| Despite the scandal, the president's popularity remains at 70%, recent opinion polls suggest. |