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 The three Americans could be included in a possible swap of imprisoned rebels for hostages, said Lynn Stansell, who met with Venezuela's ambassador to Washington, Bernardo Alvarez Herrera.
Her son Keith was grabbed in 2003 by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, also known as the FARC, along with fellow U.S. contractors Marc Gonsalves and Thomas Howes when their plane crashed during an anti-drug mission.
"This is the most hopeful event we have had in four and a half years," Stansell said. "We've not seen or communicated with our son in that time."
The meeting with the ambassador was spurred by last week's efforts by Chavez to help broker an exchange between the FARC, which holds dozens of high-profile hostages including former presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt, and the Colombian government, which holds hundreds of imprisoned rebels.
A definitive list of hostages to be included in a swap has yet to be determined. Chavez has said he hopes to meet with FARC leader Manuel Marulanda, known as "Sure Shot," to hammer out such details.
Stansell's husband, Gene, said he was heartened by last week's meeting between Chavez and Colombian President Alvaro Uribe, who gave his Venezuelan counterpart approval to try to broker the exchange.
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 "We feel this is one of the best opportunities to arrange a kind of a diplomatic solution to this drama," said Gene Stansell. He accused the U.S. government, which lists the FARC as a terrorist organization, of being unwilling to consider talks with the rebels.
State Department spokesman Tom Casey said Wednesday that Washington is working with the Colombian government on trying to secure the hostages' freedom. He said he was not aware of what Chavez's role would be in helping to arrange a swap.
"We continue to be concerned, certainly, about the three Americans who remain captive by the FARC," Casey said. "We continue to hold the FARC responsible for the conditions that they are held in, as well as responsible for their safety."
Ambassador Alvarez Herrera told The Associated Press that the families have expressed interest in traveling to Venezuela to meet with Chavez, and that they "have lots of hope that they will be helped."
"If the occasion arises I will go there," Gene Stansell said. "I would even change places with my son to get him out of the FARC."
[Associated Press; by Nestor Ikeda]
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