Better known for his trademark anti-US tirades, Venezuelan President Hugo cate role on Friday when he tries to broker a deal to free hostages held by Colombia's Marxist guerrillas.
Chavez steps into a bitter deadlock between President Alvaro Uribe, a US ally popular for his hard-line stance against rebels, and Latin America's oldest guerrilla group resisting attempts to end a 40-year conflict.
At stake in the talks in Bogota is the freedom of hundreds of kidnap victims wasting away in rebel jungle camps, including French-Colombian politician Ingrid Betancourt snatched in 2002 and three US contract workers captured a year later.
Chavez's leftist credentials, strong ties to Cuba and growing regional influence have stirred hope for families of victims he can give the talks initiative a new jolt.
"The kidnappers say they admire Chavez. They might not obey him, but they do take note," Betancourt's husband, Juan Carlos Lecompte, said. "It's the first time I see there could be a small light at the end of the tunnel." French President Nicolas Sarkozy is pushing for Betancourt's release and has asked Uribe to free a top rebel leader of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, to foster talks. He spoke with both Uribe and Chavez on Thursday, urging them to work for the release of hostages.
But Uribe and the FARC are entrenched in their positions and Chavez could struggle to find a deal that has eluded European governments, the Roman Catholic Church and families of politicians, police and soldiers held for as long as a decade.
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