The release of two hostages in Colombia last week has rekindled hopes for the 700 hostages who remain in captivity in the country. Yet it might just be possible that the diplomatic effort to free them could backfire on the hundreds of hostages who remain with guerrilla groups.

Clara Rojas and Consuelo Gonzalez were freed by Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), a leftist rebel group, after Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez brokered a deal with the guerrilla group.

Marxist rebels groups like FARC have been fighting to overthrow the Colombian government since the mid-1960s in a conflict in which thousands die and tens of thousands are displaced every year. More than 700 hostages are currently held in guerrilla camps.

The ongoing hostage situation in Colombia is of humanitarian significance because it affects efforts to assist people caught up in one of the world's worst humanitarian trouble spots.

Millions of people are caught in the crossfire between soldiers, leftist rebels, cocaine smugglers and far-right paramilitary militias in Colombia. About 3 million people have been displaced in the countryside and landmine casualties are among the worst in the world.

For as long as kidnappings are a part of daily life in Colombia, it makes it riskier for humanitarians to help those in need.

The Washington Post notes that the release has resulted in much euphoria and has raised hopes among many observers that more hostages will be released.

Calling Chavez's negotiations a "resounding triumph", the U.S. paper describes the release as "the most significant gesture by the FARC since 2001".

The newspaper quotes Colombia's interior minister, Carlos Holguin Sardi, as saying, "We don't want this anguish and the pain of many Colombians to be prolonged, so we expect that they turn them all over anywhere, in whatever town." He adds: "All that's needed is for the FARC to have the desire to turn them over and that they do it without conditions."

Yet despite these positive signs, the future still looks uncertain for the remaining hostages.

It is even possible that the chances of further hostage releases might now be lower, according to Financial Times commentator Richard Lapper (view the article with a free subscription).

"In fact, by attempting to advance the political cause of FARC, Mr Chavez is probably making it less likely that any of the other 40 or so politically important hostages (not to mention the 700 kidnapped for purely economic motives) will be released any time soon," Lapper writes.

Chavez has called on the United States and Europe to stop labelling FARC as a terrorist group, and to label them a legitimate insurgent group and a "real army that is worthy of the world's respect".

If successful, Lapper thinks this change in international attitude could strengthen FARC's political position at a time when numbers of kidnappings have declined and FARC has fewer fighters.

The BBC also notes that Chavez's efforts have "given the FARC and their struggle to overthrow the government legitimacy, recognising them as a belligerent and political force".

The BBC quotes one resident of Medellin in Colombia as saying, "Look, it took six years for the FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) to release these women and then only in a cynical attempt to win international support and pressure the president."

"Now they will want some of their killers in prison freed," said company executive Fabio Ramirez.

FARC will be expecting a reciprocal gesture from Uribe and the Colombian government as a result of the release.

If this gesture isn't forthcoming, the possibility of a further hardening of relations is very real.

In which case many will be wondering where exactly that leaves those remaining in captivity.

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