France says would rejoice at death of FARC leader

PARIS (Reuters) - France hopes the reported death of the leader of Colombia's FARC rebels will lead to the release of French-Colombian hostage Ingrid Betancourt, French Human Rights Minister Rama Yade said on Sunday.

The Colombian government announced on Saturday the FARC's historic leader Manuel Marulanda had died, but gave no firm evidence for the assertion.

"Obviously if this information is confirmed we would welcome it with great joy, with the greatest joy, because it would be the end, or the beginning of the end we hope, of Ingrid Betancourt's calvary," Yade told Radio J in an interview.

The FARC are holding a number of hostages in their jungle hideouts, including Betancourt, a politician in Colombia.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy has called on numerous occasions for her release and dispatched a medical team to Colombia last month to try to gain access to Betancourt, who is believed to be ill, but it was rebuffed by the FARC.

Reports that Marulanda had died or fallen ill have surfaced before, but they were never confirmed. He has not been seen in public for 5 years and is in his late 70s.

"The information (about his death) is not yet official and has not yet been confirmed by the FARC, so I would prefer to remain prudent at this moment in time," said Yade, whose outspoken comments have landed her in trouble before.

(Writing by Crispian Balmer; Editing by Matthew Jones)