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Former presidential candidate IngridBetancourt embraced her children for the first time in six yearsThursday, saying the thought of them helped her stay alive until adaring rescue plucked her and 14 other hostages from the jungle. "Nirvana, paradise _ that must be very similar to what I feel atthis moment," Betancourt said, fighting back tears as her sonreached over to kiss her. "It was because of them that I kept up mywill to get out of that jungle." On her first morning of freedom, Betancourt also visited the churchthat holds the remains of her father, who died while she was incaptivity. Reporters and camera crews swarmed around her whileadoring Colombians applauded as she left the church. Betancourt raced to the stairway of the French government planethat flew her children to Bogota, throwing her arms around Lorenzo,19, and Melanie, 22.

"The last time I saw my son, Lorenzo was a little kid and I couldcarry him around," she said. "I told them, they're going to have toput up with me now, because I'm going to be stuck to them likechewing gum." Betancourt, 46, was airlifted to freedom Wednesday in an audaciousoperation involving military spies who tricked the rebels intohanding over their most prized hostages _ including three U.S.military contractors _ without firing a shot.

The stunning caper involved months of intelligence gathering,dozens of helicopters on standby and a strong dose of deceit: Therebels shoved the captives, their hands bound, onto a whiteunmarked Mi-17 helicopter, believing they were being transferred toanother guerrilla camp. Looking at helicopter's crew, some wearing Che Guevara shirts,Betancourt reasoned they weren't aid workers, as she'd expected _but rebels. This was just another indignity _ the helicopter "hadno flag, no insignia." Angry and upset, she refused a coat theyoffered as they told her she was going to a colder climate. But not long after the group was airborne, Betancourt turned aroundand saw the local commander, alias Cesar, a man who had tormentedher for four years, blindfolded and stripped naked on the floor.

Then came the unbelievable words: "We're the national army," saidone of the crewmen. "You're free." The helicopter crew were soldiers in disguise. Cesar and the otherguerrilla aboard had been persuaded to hand over their pistols,then overpowered.

"The helicopter almost fell from the sky because we were jumping upand down, yelling, crying, hugging one another," Betancourt said. The mission _ in which many military intelligence agentsinfiltrated the top ranks of the leftist Revolutionary Armed Forcesof Colombia, or FARC _ snatched from the four foreigners who wereits greatest bargaining chips, as well as 11 Colombian soldiers andpolice.

Defense Minister Juan Manuel Santos said it "will go into historyfor its audacity and effectiveness." He also acknowledged therisks: "If this had failed, I would have had to resign," he toldCaracol Radio on Thursday. It was the most serious blow ever dealt to the 44-year-old FARC,which is already reeling from the recent deaths of key commandersand thousands of defections after withering pressure fromColombia's U.S.-trained and advised armed forces.

Colombia could be "at the end of the end" of its long civilconflict, armed forces chief Freddy Padilla told Caracol RadioThursday. "We are seeing the light at the end of the tunnel."

But he warned that, even now, "the FARC has an enormous capacityfor terrorism" and said, "the most difficult moments are yet tocome." In an apparently unrelated release, FARC guerrillas on Thursdayfreed Norwegian-Colombian hostage Alf Onshuus Nino, a 31-year-oldmathematics teacher at the University of the Andes in Bogota,Norway's foreign ministry announced. Spokeswoman Kristin Melsom hadno details about his release, but said it was unrelated toWednesday's rescue. Bjoern Omdal Onshuus, a relative, told Norwegian radio that aransom had been paid. Norwegian news media earlier had reported theFARC was demanding 1 million kroner (US$200,000) for his release.

Many relatives of hostages have opposed rescue attempts, mindful ofa botched 2003 operation in which rebels killed 10 hostages,including a former defense minister, when they heard helicoptersapproach. In Wednesday's operation, there were no such mistakes. Through orders they believed came from top rebels, the hostages'handlers had maneuvered three separate groups of hostages to arendezvous point in eastern Colombia's wilds for Wednesday'shelicopter pickup.

"The helicopter was on the ground for 22 minutes," said army chiefGen. Mario Montoya, "the longest minutes of my life." The agents had led Cesar to believe he was taking them to supremerebel leader Alfonso Cano to discuss a possible hostage swap. AFrench and Swiss envoy was reported in the country seeking ameeting with Cano, so the operation's timing was perfect.

"It was an extraordinary symphony in which everything wentperfectly," Betancourt said.

She appeared thin but surprisingly healthy as she strode down thestairs of a military plane and held her mother in a long embrace.

A flight carrying the Americans _ Marc Gonsalves, Thomas Howes andKeith Stansell _ landed in Texas late Wednesday after being flownthere directly. They were to reunite with their families andundergo tests and treatment at Brooke Army Medical Center in SanAntonio.

U.S. Ambassador William Brownfield said the Americans were healthyand "very, very happy" but two suffered from the jungle maladyleishmaniasis and were "looking forward to modern medicaltreatment." President Alvaro Uribe, in a celebratory news conference flanked bythe freed Colombian hostages, said he isn't interested in "spillingblood" and that he wants the FARC to know he seeks "a path topeace, total peace." U.S. President George W. Bush said Thursday that Uribe had called aday earlier "to give me the good news," and said he congratulatedthe Colombian leader. "I'm proud of our relationship with Colombia, and I'm proud of myfriend," Bush said of Uribe.

Although only Colombians were directly involved in the rescue,Brownfield said "close" American cooperation included intelligence,equipment and "training advice."

"The rescue was long in the planning. We've been working with themfor a long time. I'm not able to go into many specifics," WhiteHouse press secretary Dana Perino said Thursday in Washington. The two rebels overpowered on the helicopters will face justice,officials said. But the 58 left behind on the ground were allowedto escape as a goodwill gesture, Padilla said.

"If I had given the order to fire on them they would almostcertainly all have been killed," he said. Another 39 helicoptershad been standing by, prepared to encircle the rebels and hostagesif the rescue failed, Santos said.

Betancourt was abducted in February 2002 while she was campaigningfor president. The Americans were captured a year later when theirdrug surveillance plane went down in rebel-held jungle. Some of theothers had been held for a dozen years. Betancourt, a dual French national who grew up in Paris, had becomea cause celebre across Europe. The office of French PresidentNicolas Sarkozy, who had made Betancourt's liberation a priority ofstate, said Betancourt was expected to arrive in France on Friday.

Betancourt thanked Uribe, against whom she was running when she waskidnapped, and said he "has been a very good president." However, she said, "I continue to aspire to serve Colombia aspresident."