>Libya: > >News and Views > > > >Friday, 18 August, 2000 Friday, 18 August, 2000: The Qadhafi Charitable >Foundation -- not the Libyan government -- has been mediating with kidnappers >to free all 31 hostages on the Philippine island of Jolo, a foundation >official told AFP Thursday. "Our foundation is leading the mediation and the >Libyan state has no connection with this case," said the official of the >organization headed by Seif al-Islam, son of Libyan leader Mu'ammar >al-Qadhafi. "The mediation concerns all the hostages, not just the French. The >lives of human beings, whether they are French or hold other nationality, >cannot be the object of bargaining," said the official, who asked not to be >identified. [AFP] > >Friday, 18 August, 2000: The head of the Italian government, Juliano Amato, >has told Libyan leader, Col. Mu'ammar al-Qadhafi, that he was "very pleased" >over the positive development of relations both countries. The Libyan news >agency, JANA, reporting a telephone conversation between the two leaders >Wednesday, said Amato declared that cooperation between Libya and Italy was on >a smooth footing. He stressed the Italian government's commitment to respect >the terms of the joint declaration, signed in July 1998, which has >considerably contributed in improving relations between the two ountries. >[PANA] Friday, 18 August, 2000: > >European tourists, including two Germans, being held by Moslem rebels in the >Philippines could arrive in the Libyan capital of Tripoli any time from >Saturday onward, a senior German official said on Thursday. Cornelius Sommer, >the Berlin government's Asian affairs adviser, told reporters in Tripoli that >bad weather and continuing negotiations on the fate of three French >journalists appeared to be holding up the Libyan-brokered release of 16 >hostages being held by the Abbu Sayyaf rebels. Sommer was in Libya expecting >to escort home German teacher Werner Wallert and his 25-year-old son Marc. >[Reuters] Thursday, 17 August, 2000: > >Libya, which is paying millions of dollars to free nine Westerners held >hostage by Muslim rebels for four months, wants the captives to meet with >Libyan leader Mu'ammar al-Qadhafi on their release. The release of the nine >from remote Jolo island had been expected on Wednesday, but ``minor hitches'' >forced a delay until at least Thursday, Philippine negotiator Roberto >Mananquil said Tuesday. A chartered plane from Libya was waiting in Manila to >pick up the hostages, who were part of a group of 21 people kidnapped in April >from Malaysia's Sipadan diving resort by Abu Sayyaf rebels. Planes chartered >by Libya were ferrying officials and scores of journalists from Lebanon and >South Africa to Tripoli, where the hostages were to be flown after their >release to meet with Qadhafi. [AP] __________________________________ KOMINFORM P.O. Box 66 00841 Helsinki - Finland +358-40-7177941, fax +358-9-7591081 e-mail [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.kominf.pp.fi ___________________________________ [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe/unsubscribe messages mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] ___________________________________
