| AVENTAJADO BACK
IN SADDLE AS GOVT CHIEF NEGOTIATOR Abu
Sayyaf rebels yesterday agreed to allow Robert Aventajado to continue heading the
government panel in talks for the release of their 21 Asian and western hostages.
Malacañang said it was pleased to hear of the
concession and forecast progress in efforts to free the hostages, now on their 56th day of captivity.
Meanwhile, the Armed Forces denied news reports of a
P7.6-million arms landing for the Abu Sayyaf. Officials said “no information of this
nature was ever reported” to the J2, or military directorate for intelligence. AFP
civil relations chief, Col. Jaime Canatoy, said the false report could be the handiwork of
“the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and the New People’s Army.”
THE MANILA TIMES ran the story. It is standing by its
report.
In a follow up interview yesterday, the military
intelligence source verified the existence of an internal AFP report on the arms shipment
and repeated the breakdown of weapons: 20 recoilless rifles, 10 field mortars, street
sweepers or semi-automatic shotguns and other kinds of long arms.
An Abu Sayyaf emissary reportedly presented a
hand-written press release to Aventajado’s Manila office.
It explained the group’s decision to recognize
Aventajado, whom they had earlier accused of working for a military rescue operation.
Palace officials said the emissary met with
Aventajado yesterday.
The June 17 letter from Ghalib Andang a.k.a.
Commander Robot, and Abu Sayyaf Sulu commander Mujeeb Susukan, said rebels were satisfied by the negotiator’s
explanation, that he “would be the last person to favor a military option.”
“(We) hereby inform the Estrada administration
that should future negotiations take place, after the cooling off period, Secretary
Aventajado may continue with his role as GRP chief negotiator,” the rebel leaders
said.
“With this statement from the Abu Sayyaf,
everything will be set next week for the resumption of the talks,” an aide of the
government negotiator said.
The rebels seized three
Germans, two French, two Finns, two South Africans, a Lebanese, nine Malaysians and two
Filipinos on April 23 from a Malaysian diving resort and brought them to Jolo, an island
at the southern tip of the Philippines.
--Mirasol Ng-Gadil And Manny B. Marinay
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