VIDEO: France May Let Colombian FARC Deserter Stay

France is checking the status of a deserter from the Colombian FARC guerrilla group who helped a hostage escape at the weekend and may offer him asylum, President Nicolas Sarkozy's office said on Monday.

A spokesman at the Elysee Palace in Paris said France had agreed to offer residence rights to FARC members who pledge to lay down their arms, "as long as they are not the target of legal proceedings anywhere in the world".

He said authorities were checking on the man's status.

The deserter, known as Isaza, helped former Colombian lawmaker Oscar Lizcano escape after eight years of captivity, accompanying him on a three-day march through the jungle before they reached an army outpost on Sunday.

Colombian President Alvaro Uribe said he would be paid a bounty and could settle in France under a deal his government had promised FARC members who surrendered with hostages.

The FARC, or Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, was once a powerful army that controlled large areas of the country. But the rebel group lost three leaders this year and hundreds of fighters have deserted.