Philippines Delays Rebel Actions
By JIM GOMEZ, Associated Press Writer
MANILA, Philippines (AP) -
Philippine officials said Wednesday they will hold off for now on taking tougher steps,
possibly including a military attack, against Muslim guerrillas holding hostages in the
jungle.
Officials here had strongly
suggested that the government was considering a military attack on the Abu Sayyaf
separatist rebels. The rebels, who have been holding hostages for months, recently
released many of them in exchange for millions of dollars but then angered the government
by kidnapping three more people from a Malaysian diving resort Sunday.
President Joseph Estrada cut
short a trip to the United States on Wednesday to consult with a Cabinet security group
about possible new steps in the crisis. He avoided journalists at Manila's airport and
headed straight to the presidential palace, where top military and police officials met.
Before taking any action,
spokesman Ricardo Puno said, the government will wait to see if chief negotiator Roberto
Aventajado can convince the guerrillas to free the hostages, including the three just
taken from Malaysia.
``Secretary Aventajado is
confident that this matter will be resolved within the next couple of days. We'll await
that and see what happens,'' Puno said after the Cabinet security group meeting.
``I don't know exactly how long
we are going to wait,'' Puno said. ``We can't be stampeded into any action.''
The rebels claim they are
fighting for an independent Islamic state in the impoverished southern Philippines.
The latest kidnapping came a
day after Saturday's release of four Europeans, the last foreigners in a group of 21
people snatched in April from Malaysia's Sipadan Island. The Abu Sayyaf also still hold
one Filipino taken from Sipadan, two French TV journalists and 12 Filipino Christian
evangelists.
Ambassador Salem Adam of Libya,
which helped secure the release of the Sipadan hostages, said they were working for the
freedom of the two French journalists, who could be released as early as Friday.
Another Abu Sayyaf faction is
holding American Jeffrey Schilling, a Muslim convert from Oakland, Calif., who was
abducted Aug. 28 after he visited their camp.
Negotiations were suspended
because of fighting among the Abu Sayyaf factions over the division of ransom money.
Negotiators say about $15 million in ransom has been paid so far, about $10 million of it
by Libya.
The abduction of the three new
hostages has sparked fears of another wave of kidnappings encouraged by the huge ransom
payments.
Libya insists the money is
going for development projects, not into the pockets of the rebels. But the freed hostages
said they saw signs of money flooding into the rebel camp, including new clothes, gold
jewelry, and reports of new speedboats and motorcycles.
Marines and four Philippine
navy ships were on standby at a naval station in southern Zamboanga city, near Jolo, the
island where the rebels are holed up.
Rebel spokesman Abu Sabaya told
a radio station in Zamboanga that they were ready to face any military attack, including
ones supported by American forces, but they would behead Schilling if such action were
taken.
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