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HOSTAGE CRISIS FAST: EUROPEAN LEADERS The
French, Finnish and German foreign ministers meet President Estrada to express concern for
their citizens held captive by rebels
By LUZ BAGUIORO
PHILIPPINES CORRESPONDENT
MANILA -- Three European
nations yesterday launched a renewed bid to pressure the Philippine government to resolve
quickly a drawn-out hostage crisis as the prospects of freedom for 40 people held by
Muslim militants remain tenuous.
Foreign ministers from France,
Finland and Germany met President Joseph Estrada yesterday evening to express concern over
the safety of their citizens among the hostages and to urge Manila to work for their early
release without resorting to military action.
""Our main concern is
for the hostages to be safe and sound but nothing should be done to risk their lives,''
French Foreign Minister Hubert Vedrine said at a news conference.
Statements of support for
Manila's handling of the crisis were made, as expected, but a sense of exasperation was
palpable.
""We have come to
discuss the painful fate of the hostages. We expect them to be released as soon as
possible,'' Mr Vedrine said.
Government negotiators
yesterday offered a ray of hope after their first face-to-face meeting with the Abu Sayyaf
guerillas after nearly a month.
""In the coming days,
we might have a release,'' Libyan mediator Abdul Rajab Azzarouq told reporters as he gave
a thumbs-up sign.
Mr Azzarouq, a former
ambassador to the Philippines, previously won the release of several kidnap victims from
the Abu Sayyaf.
Any positive development
remains to be seen.
Nearly three months after 21
people were kidnapped from a resort in eastern Malaysia and brought to a southern
Philippines jungle on Jolo island, it is still not clear how the government will help
them. The crisis has since worsened.
One Malaysian captive was
released last month but the Muslim gunmen subsequently snatched 13 Christian preachers, a
French television crew of three and a German journalist.
Mr Estrada has ruled out bowing
to the kidnappers' ransom demands but has set no deadline for ending the crisis, which has
only reinforced his image as an inept leader.
Western governments with
nationals among the hostages have stamped their foot on any military action, tying the
hands of police and the military authorities.
Pervasive media coverage has
further complicated matters after Abu Sayyaf bandits snatched a French television crew of
three and a German journalist covering the crisis.
The kidnappers themselves could
not agree on what demands to make.
A faction led by Galib Andang,
alias Commander Robot, holding the 20 mostly foreign hostages wants money. But just how
much keeps changing by the day.
Police said the gunmen want
US$1 million (S$1.73 million) for each of the 20 hostages, seven million pesos (S$269,500)
for the preachers and US$1 million for the three French journalists.
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