By Hugh Bronstein

BOGOTA, Dec 9 (Reuters) - Colombian President Alvaro Uribe on Sunday asked that the Red Cross be allowed to visit hostages held for years by leftist rebels, a move he said could set the stage for negotiating their release.

The request came two days after Uribe set out conditions for handing over kidnap victims held by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, which has dozens of captives including French-Colombian politician Ingrid Betancourt.

The president is waiting for a response from the 43-year-old FARC to his proposal that the hand-over be held in a sparsely populated 150-square-kilometre (58-square-mile) area where the rebels would not be allowed to bring arms.

Analysts say they will be surprised if the FARC accepts Uribe's terms despite an international campaign led by French President Nicolas Sarkozy.

Uribe asked that the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) be allowed to visit dozens of high-profile hostages the government wants to swap for jailed guerrillas.

"We ask that the Red Cross be allowed into the places where the hostages are being held in order to stop their condition from deteriorating," Uribe said.

ICRC spokesman Yves Heller said the group was willing to visit the hostages.

"We are in contact with the FARC to do so but to date we have not received the green light," he said.

Last month the government released videos of kidnap victims including three American anti-drug contractors captured in 2003. One showed Betancourt, who was snatched nearly six years ago, looking gaunt and depressed in a jungle camp.

Uribe urged guerrilla fighters to take advantage of a new $100 million fund set aside to pay those who desert the FARC, rescue kidnap victims and turn them over to the government.

"Don't keep following orders from your terrorist commanders," he said on television, speaking to rebel fighters. "It is time for humanitarian reflection."

The cocaine-financed rebels say they are fighting for socialism, but even left-wing Colombian politicians say the guerrillas have scant popular support. (Editing by Eric Walsh)

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