Philippine army rejects call for negotiations to free hostages

MANILA, Oct 14 (Reuters) - The Philippine army on Wednesday
rejected demands by Islamist militants to start negotiations for
the release of three abducted foreign tourists and a Filipino
woman and halt an offensive on a remote southern island.
Two Canadians, a Norwegian and the Filipino, who were taken
hostage at a resort on Samal island on Sept. 21, have appealed
by video to Philippine authorities to stop military operations
on the tiny island of Jolo, to the west of Samal, and to Canada
to help negotiate for their freedom.
There has been speculation the four had been taken hundreds
of miles west to Jolo, a stronghold of Abu Sayyaf, a small but
violent Islamist militant group, known for bomb attacks,
kidnappings and beheadings in the southern Philippines.
"There is no negotiation that can be made with any of those
who are perpetrating this crime," military spokesman Colonel
Restituto Padilla told a press briefing at the main army base in
Manila.
"We cannot, as of the matter, discuss operational details,
but we can assure you the safety of the hostages is always
foremost in our minds."
The army commander on Jolo, General Alan Arrojado, said the
military would not stop operations against the al Qaeda-linked
Abu Sayyaf because there was no proof the hostages were in that
area.
"It may be a mock up scenario, it could be taken elsewhere
and made it appear to be on Jolo to stop our operations," he
said about the video appeal of the hostages. "There will be no
let up in our operations."
Asked about the video, a Canadian Foreign Ministry spokesman
said the government was "pursuing all appropriate channels" to
seek further information.
Armed men with covered faces were seen in the video standing
behind the four hostages who made appeals to halt army
offensives and to negotiate for their release. All of them were
shown to be sitting in a jungle while the militants with covered
faces held rifles and machetes and shouted "Allahu akbar" (God
is greatest).
The militants' leader spoke fluent English, demanding the
artillery attacks be halted and the negotiation of the release
of the hostages. He did not identify what group they belonged to
or their location.
"The positive thing that we derive from this video is that
the kidnap victims are in good health, seem to be, and that is,
as far as we are concerned, part of the good news that we got
out of it," Padilla said.