Colombia says to seek direct contact with rebels

BOGOTA (Reuters) - Colombia said on Monday it would seek direct hostage talks with leftist rebels following last week's rescue of 15 captives, and may suspend the role of European countries that have tried to mediate a deal.

The stunning rescue of French-Colombian politician Ingrid Betancourt, three U.S. defense contractors and 11 Colombian soldiers and police officers after years in captivity has strengthened the government's bargaining position against the guerrillas.

"The decision that we have made -- following the liberation of Ingrid, the three Americans and the members of our security forces -- is to put efforts in motion to make direct contact," Colombian Peace Commissioner Luis Carlos Restrepo told local radio.

France, Spain and Switzerland have been seeking to broker an accord with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, known as the FARC, for the release of 25 high-profile hostages, some of whom have been held for more than 10 years in secret jungle camps. The FARC additionally holds hundreds of hostages for ransom.

"We believe we have to reevaluate. There are problems with some of the present facilitators," Restrepo said. "We have the FARC fractured and we would prefer direct contact, among other things, to talk about peace."

Colombia's government says Swiss mediator Jean-Pierre Gontard was mentioned in computer files found in the camp of a top FARC leader killed in a military raid in March, raising questions about the Switzerland's role in peace talks.

Colombia says the files show that Gontard may have been involved in unauthorized activities related to the guerrillas.

The FARC has been fighting a socialist insurgency for 44 years, mainly financed since the 1980s by the cocaine trade.

The rescue, in which Colombian agents posed as members of a fictitious rebel-friendly group that was to transport the hostages to a meeting with the FARC's leader, showed how disorganized the guerrillas have become.

President Alvaro Uribe has used billions of dollars in U.S. military aid to help push the insurgency onto the defensive.

A record 1,600 rebels have deserted so far this year as their leaders face worsening command and control problems due to army efforts at disrupting their communications.

(Reporting by Luis Jaime Acosta and Hugh Bronstein; Editing by Eric Beech)