May 17, 2000, Express India / Agence France Presse, Abu Sayyaf demands $2m to release German,

May 17, 2000, Express India / Agence France Presse, Abu Sayyaf demands $2m to release German,

JOLO (Philippines), May 17: Government negotiators prepared on Wednesday to hold talks with Muslim extremists demanding two million dollars for the release of a sick German hostage being held among 21 people in the southern Philippines. In a surprise announcement in Beijing, Philippine Foreign Secretary Domingo Siazon said the government was trying to work out a "package deal" with the gunmen to free all the hostages. Siazon, who is accompanying Philippine President Joseph Estrada in a trip to China, said the government had been receiving a series of demands from five different rebel leaders since the 21 mostly foreign hostages were kidnapped from a Malaysian resort island three weeks ago.

"The initial price is one million dollars for the German woman and then it became two million but we have asked them for a package deal for all 21 hostages," he said. Despite government appeals and international pressure, the gunmen have refused to release the 57-year-old German schoolteacher, Renate Wallert, who has high blood pressure and reportedly suffered a stroke. One of the government negotiators, Abdusakur Tan, said he was surprised with Siazon's statement. "I don't know where he got that information," Tan said after he and other negotiators prepared strategies ahead of talks with the rebels possibly on Thursday. Tan is the governor of the southern province of Sulu which includes Jolo island where the hostages are being held in harsh and dangerous conditions. President Estrada said in Beijing that he was in daily contact with chief government negotiator, Roberto Aventajado and that he had instructed him "to give priority to the release of the sick German lady."

In Manila, Aventajado said in a statement that they were awaiting a "collective decision" from the five leaders of the Abu Sayyaf on their demands which must be in written form. However Aventajado did not mention any ransom demand in the statement. He could not be immediately contacted over Sizaon's remarks. Aventajado also appealed to the Abu Sayyaf to free the hostages, saying "the world is watching them." "By their actions they will betray themselves as either a thinking organization or one without direction," he said. Estrada's chief aide, Executive Secretary Ronaldo Zamora, warned in a radio interview in Manila that if the German woman died while in the Abu Sayyaf custody, "there will be a big problem for everybody."

Earlier on Wednesday, Abu Sabaya, a spokesman of the Abu Sayyaf group, said in an interview with DXRZ radio station that "our leaders have a decision on the release of the German woman but we have our own conditions also." "Maybe we can include the sick Frenchman," he added, referring to French hostage Stephane Loisy, who is suffering from a urinary tract infection.

However he did not specify the conditions. Asked if Manila had rejected the ransom demand, Siazon said: 

"We have asked them to consolidate their requests, that is different from a rejection." Previously, the Abu Sayyaf had raised various demands ranging from political recognition to withdrawal of Christian missionaries from the southern Philippines to demands for compensation for "board and lodging" of the hostages. Earlier, Aventajado's newly-reconstituted government negotiating team met in Zamboanga City North of this southern town to look into initial demands by the kidnappers. Among the issues they took up were Abu Sayyaf's call for a neutral venue for the talks, possibly outside this town of Jolo but away from Patikul town where the hostages are being kept. The Aventajado-led negotiation team is the third appointed by Estrada since the hostage crisis erupted three weeks ago. Aventajado, an adviser to Estrada, has been coordinating with previous hostage negotiators and his close ties with the President are seen as boosting the stature of the negotiating panel. Officials earlier said Abu Sayyaf rebels had agreed to sit down for a "serious discussion" lasting "two to three days" on their demands.

Copyright © 2000 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.