Negotiators back on Jolo island to resume talks<\/p>\n
JOLO, Philippines (Agencies): Philippine negotiators seeking
\nthe release of 40 mostly foreign hostages held by separatist
\ngroup sailed back to the southern island of Jolo on Wednesday
\nafter a month-long break in talks.<\/p>\n
"We are here to pursue negotiations and we are very hopeful
\nthat we might succeed in releasing some of them," presidential
\nassistant secretary Farouk Hussain told reporters after arriving
\nwith Libyan envoy Rajab Azzarouq.<\/p>\n
"We wish we will see them soon free and sound," said Azzarouq,
\na former Libyan ambassador to the Philippines.<\/p>\n
Chief government negotiator Roberto Aventajado said on Tuesday
\nrebel chief Galib Andang had called him by phone to say that the
\nfundamentalist Abu Sayyaf was ready to resolve the nearly three-
\nmonth-long hostage crisis.<\/p>\n
Aventajado, who remains in nearby Zamboanga city awaiting
\ndevelopments in Jolo, said the rebels also told him they were
\nready to present their "bottom-line demands."<\/p>\n
Hours after the Philippine negotiators sailed back to Jolo,
\nthree European foreign ministers announced on Wednesday that they
\nwould fly to Manila to press the Philippine government in person
\nto secure the release of the hostages held by separatist rebels,
\nFrench Foreign Minister Hubert Vedrine said on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
Vedrine said he and Germany's Joschka's Fischer would team up
\non Thursday evening in Manila with Finland's Erkki Tuomioja for
\nmeetings with Philippine officials and government hostage
\nnegotiators.<\/p>\n
France, Germany and Finland are the three European Union
\ncountries with citizens being held captive on the southern island
\nof Jolo.<\/p>\n
The hostages originally totaled 21 but the number has
\nburgeoned after the rebels detained 13 Filipino evangelists,
\nthree French television crew and a German reporter who tried to
\nsee the captives earlier this month.<\/p>\n
A Malaysian forest ranger among the original 21 abducted from
\na Malaysian diving resort on April 23 has been freed. The group
\nincludes eight other Malaysians, three Germans, two French
\nnationals, two Finns, two Filipinos and a Lebanese.<\/p>\n
The guerrillas are also holding two Filipino school teachers
\nand a teenage boy abducted on nearby Basilan island in March.<\/p>\n
Faced with tough rebel demands, Manila suspended talks in
\nearly June, leaving only local emissaries to keep up contact with
\nthe rebels.<\/p>\n
Officials earlier said the Abu Sayyaf wanted US$1.0 million
\nper hostage. Although Manila says it is opposed to paying ransom,
\nofficials have said they believe the issue will boil down to a
\nquestion of money and how much.<\/p>\n
The government has rejected the rebels' main political demand
\n-- the establishment of an Islamic state in the south of the
\nmainly Catholic Philippines.<\/p>\n
Hussain said the government panel would seek the release of
\neverybody but "of course, we will give priority to those who were
\nsnatched earlier", referring to the hostages seized in Malaysia.<\/p>\n
Speculation was rife that the rebels might free at least one
\nor some hostages shortly as a "gift" to provincial governor
\nAbdusakur Tan, a member of Manila's panel, who is celebrating his
\nbirthday on Thursday. Andang had worked for Tan before he fled to
\nthe hills.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the Philippine government rejected on Wednesday
\ndemands by extremist group holding 40 hostages to pull security
\nforces out of territory regained from the country's biggest
\nseparatist group.<\/p>\n
The Abu Sayyaf had warned it would harm 13 Christian preachers
\namong hostages being held in the southern Philippines if
\ngovernment troops were not withdrawn from areas once held by the
\nMoro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) by July 17.<\/p>\n
Defense Secretary Orlando Mercado said on Wednesday the Abu
\nSayyaf could not dictate the movements of the Philippine
\nmilitary.<\/p>\n
"The military operations are not to be determined by the Abu
\nSayyaf. It is not to be influenced by calls of the terrorists
\nthat we pull out," Mercado told reporters here.<\/p>\n
The Abu Sayyaf warned on Monday of "negative repercussions"
\nagainst flamboyant preacher Wilde Almeda and his 12 followers
\nfrom the Jesus Miracle Crusade if troops did not pull out from
\nthe MILF headquarters and other rebel bases captured by the
\ngovernment.<\/p>",
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