13 August 2000 - AP

MANILA (AP) -- A Libyan envoy yesterday denied reports his country offered $25 million in ransom for European and Asian hostages being held by a Muslim rebel group in the southern Philippines.

Abdul Rajab Azzarouq, Libya's former ambassador to the Philippines, was reacting to reports last week in Beirut that Libya had made the offer.

"There is no truth to that. Our offer, which we talked about is a socio-economic package for livelihood projects," Azzarouq said, who has been involved in negotiations to free the captives held by the Abu Sayyaf rebels on Jolo island.

The chief government negotiator, Robert Aventajado, also denied the reports. But he said Libya has been involved in livelihood projects for Muslim communities in the southern Philippines.

The leading Beirut daily An-Nahar said in a report Aug. 5 that Seif al-Islam, Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi's son, sent an emissary to Manila to try for a deal.

It said the envoy, Mohamad Ismail, contacted the Lebanese Embassy in Tokyo and expressed "full readiness" to pay a ransom of $1 million to gain the release of Marie Moarbes, a Lebanese-French woman, as a first priority. The report also said Libya would then pay $24 million for the liberation of the other hostages.

Ismail, who is helping Azzarouq, also denied the report.

"It's rubbish," he said, adding that it would be illogical to give more than what the kidnappers had asked for. The Abu Sayyaf has demanded $1 million for each of the nine Western hostages still in their hands.

However, the Philippine Air Transportation Office said it had received an inquiry from the Libyan embassy on flying a plane from Libya, although no request for a permit has been made. Azzarouq said he was not informed of the embassy's call.

Since he became ruler in 1969, Gadhafi has been supportive of Muslim, nationalist, and leftist rebel groups around the world. He has a long history of ties with Muslim rebels in the southern Philippines, having provided development aid and tried to help negotiate peace agreements between rebels and the Philippine government.

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BEIRUT (Reuters) - A Lebanese hostage held by Muslim rebels in the Philippines is expected to be released today after Libya intervened to secure her freedom, the Lebanese government said yesterday.

Hikmat Abou Seid, the prime minister's press secretary, said Electricity Minister Slieman Traboulsi was preparing to fly to Tripoli to receive Marie Moarbes, who was among 21 people kidnapped from the Malaysian resort on April 21 and then moved to Jolo, south of Manila.

The kidnappers, known as the Abu Sayyaf group, subsequently released some hostages but took new ones.

"I have no information about the rest of the hostages," said Abou Zeid.

In Manila, Philippine officials said that negotiations for the release of the hostages were still on and there were no immediate prospects of them being set free.

Strike force

Legislators called yesterday for the deployment of "a better equipped, highly mobile, hard-hitting force" to destroy the Abu Sayaff rebel organization and other criminal groups.

House Speaker Manuel F. Villar joined Rep. Plaridel M. Abaya (LAMP, Cavite) in calling for a Special Forces-type force to smash the Abu armed group victimizing peaceful communities in Mindanao.

In a privilege speech, Congressman Abaya, a military colonel-turned-politician, said atrocities by these outlaws against innocent civilians showed a lack of pressure and a failure of intelligence effort by the military.

"The situation calls for an offensive action," said Abaya, a member of the Philippine Military Academy Class '59. The military should keep the enemy on the run, deny them the luxury of free movement, deny them opportunities for ambuscades, and prevent their atrocious acts against civilians.

12 more?

JOLO, Sulu (DPA) - Philippine police yesterday were verifying reports that Islamic extremists have abducted 12 more people amid ongoing efforts to free 17 other hostages held in Jolo for more than three months.

According to initial reports, the new captives were brought to Jolo island, Sulu, where the Abu Sayyaf rebels have been holding Western and Asian hostages since late April.

Sulu Gov. Abdusakur Tan said he has instructed the police to check on the reported abduction, noting hat the development would be "a cause of worry, especially for the provincial government."

"If this is true, then there is really no end to this crisis," Tan said. "There might be a need for the government to re-assess our position in the treatment of the hostage situation. We cannot stay passive about this."

The Philippine government has been negotiating for a peaceful end to the 112-day standoff due to pressure from foreign governments to avoid any action that would threaten the safety of their nationals.

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