Philippine Hostage Release Delayed
By JIM GOMEZ, Associated Press Writer
ZAMBOANGA, Philippines (AP) -
Negotiators delayed their departure Friday for a southern Philippine island after new
snags threatened to stop Muslim rebels from releasing all six Europeans they are still
holding.
They blamed the delay on plane
problems. Earlier, however, an official close to the negotiating team said Libyan
officials had brought only $4 million in ransom money, or enough to pay for the release of
only four of the hostages.
The Abu Sayyaf rebels had
earlier pledged to free all six on Friday.
But they failed to telephone
the negotiators as expected Thursday to confirm the release, the official said.
Libya has played a prominent
role in negotiations for 21 people kidnapped April 23 from Malaysia's Sipadan diving
resort. Last week it paid $6 million for the release of six other Westerners from the
group, negotiators said. It insists the money will go for development projects, not
directly to the rebels.
But Libya has resisted paying
for two of the remaining hostages, both French television journalists seized while
covering the hostage crisis, saying their company should foot the bill.
Negotiators said they would
still travel Friday to Jolo island in hopes the European hostages would be released.
Ambassadors from the hostages' countries were scheduled to fly to the southern port city
of Zamboanga to receive the captives from negotiators.
The rebels are still holding
two Finns, a French and a German from Sipadan and the two journalists in their camp on
Jolo island, as well as 12 Filipino Christian evangelists who were captured in early July.
A Filipino hostage from Sipadan was taken to the camp of another rebel faction.
A separate faction also is
holding an American man, Jeffrey Schilling, kidnapped early last week.
The government negotiator
working for Schilling's release said emissaries have contacted rebel spokesman Abu Sabaya,
who belongs to that faction, but negotiations had not yet begun. ``As of this moment, Abu
Sabaya's group keeps on moving for security reasons,'' provincial Vice Governor Munib
Estino said.
The rebels have not announced
their demands for Schilling's release, although Sabaya has privately demanded $10 million,
negotiators said.
Schilling, 24, a Muslim convert
from Oakland, California, was seized Aug. 28 when he visited an Abu Sayyaf camp with his
Filipino Muslim wife, Ivi Osani.
Presidential Press Secretary
Ricardo Puno said Schilling appears to be in good condition, despite earlier reports he
was ill. ``He's not undergoing rough treatment. He's OK,'' Puno said.
Philippine officials have
questioned whether the case is a simple kidnapping since Osani is Sabaya's second cousin
and the widow of a rebel killed by government forces. Osani was not abducted and is being
held in protective custody in a military hospital.
``It could either be pure love
or there could be a lot of intrigue in the background,'' Puno said. ``At this time we
cannot say with any finality what her role was. But it certainly was not a passive one
since she made arrangements for him to go to the camp.''
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