Bogota - Leftist rebels in Colombia said Thursday they will soon release the hostage they have been holding longest, a soldier kidnapped more than 11 years ago.

Corporal Pablo Emilio Moncayo was abducted by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) on December 21, 1997 in an attack on an army communications base on Mount Patascoy.

The rebels seized several members of the military during the raid in the south-west region of Narino, but only Moncayo and Jose Libio Martinez remain in captivity.

FARC said the decision to release the corporal was in response to requests from presidents Rafael Correa of Ecuador and Hugo Chavez of Venezuela, among others.

The rebels further acknowledged the efforts of the hostage's father, Gustavo Moncayo, who has led an as yet unsuccessful campaign to get the Colombian government to agree to an exchange of imprisoned rebels for hostages held by FARC.

In mid-2007, the elder Moncayo, a schoolteacher, walked for days from his native Sandona, in Narino, to the Colombian capital Bogota. Last year, he walked from Bogota to the Venezuelan capital Caracas, to thank Chavez for his efforts to secure the release of several hostages.

"The joy is too much, it's huge," the teacher said on hearing the news that his son was to be released. "There has to be a negotiated, political way out (of the conflict)," Moncayo said.

FARC is currently holding 22 military and police officers, whom they want to exchange for 500 imprisoned rebels. Last year, their most high-profile hostage, former presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt, was rescued in a secret service operation. (dpa)