Libya denies readiness to pay ransom for hostages in Philippines

August 12, 2000

MANILA, Philippines -- Libya denied Saturday that it is prepared to pay a hefty ransom to free hostages being held by a Muslim rebel group in the southern Philippines.

Abdul Rajab Assarouq, Libya's former ambassador to the Philippines, called untrue a report published in Beirut last week that Tripoli was prepared to offer $25 million to free the hostages.

"There is no truth to that offer. Our offer, which we talked about, is a socio-economic package for livelihood projects," said Assarouq, who has been involved in negotiations to free the captives held by the Abu Sayyaf rebels on Jolo Island in the Sulu province, 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) south of Manila.

The chief government negotiator in the Philippines, Robert Aventajado, also denied the published reports. He pointed out that Libya has been involved in projects to help Muslim communities in the southern Philippines.

Delegation turns back

In Beirut on Saturday, a ministerial-level delegation heading to Libya to receive one of the hostages, Lebanese-born Marie Moarbes, abruptly canceled its trip after a Libyan diplomat said his government had not secured Moarbes' release.

The London-based newspaper Asharq al-Awsat reported that the hostages would be flown to Tripoli on Sunday after Libya paid the ransom.

Officials in Manila said negotiations for the release of the hostages were continuing and there was no immediate prospect of them being set free.

The leading Beirut daily An-Nahar reported on August 5 that Seif al-Islam, Libya leader Moammar Gadhafi's eldest son, sent an emissary to Manila to work out a deal with the rebels.

The envoy, Mohamad Ismail, who is helping Assarouq, contacted the Lebanese Embassy in Tokyo and expressed "full readiness" to pay $1 million for the release of Moarbes, who was born in Lebanon and granted French citizenship while she was in rebel hands, according to the report.

It said Libya would then pay $24 million dollars to free other hostages.

"It's rubbish," said Ismail in response to the story. He said it would be illogical to pay more than what the kidnappers had asked for.

$1 million per hostage

On April 23, the rebels seized 21 international tourists and workers from a Malaysian diving resort and brought them to the island of Jolo in the southern Philippines. In recent weeks, the rebels have freed one German and six Malaysians from the group.

The guerrillas also seized three French TV reporters, a German journalist and two reporters from the Philippines' largest television network. The three French reporters are still being held, as are 12 Filipino members of a Christian evangelical group.

The Abu Sayyaf, a loose collection of several hundred heavily armed rebels, has demanded $1 million for each Western hostage. The group, which is fighting for an independent Muslim nation in the southern Philippines, has been accused of banditry, kidnapping and numerous attacks on Christians in the impoverished south.

Gadhafi has provided development aid in the southern Philippines and tried to help negotiate peace agreements between the rebels and Manila.