THE United States yesterday said Moscow's suggestion for a multinational force to deal with the Peru hostage situation was inappropriate.
Noting that the situation in Lima remained unstable, the State Department spokesman, Mr John Dinger said any talk of sending an international force into the country "is just inappropriate".
On Wednesday President Boris Yeltsin of Russia offered to send a special anti-terrorist unit to Peru to help to free hostages still held by left-wing guerrillas in the Japanese ambassador's residence.
Mr Yeltsin's spokesman, Mr Sergei Yastrzhembsky, said the Russian leader had contacted the Peruvian president and sent separate messages to members of the
Group of Seven, proposing "setting up a joint headquarters" with Russia to help resolve the crisis.
Mr Dinger noted that Washington had offered assistance to Peruvian authorities but "to the best of my knowledge the Peruvians haven't asked for it".
Britain also reacted cautiously to the Russian proposal, saying it had not been directly informed by Moscow of the plan. A Foreign Office statement said it was up to the Peruvian authorities to decide on a course of action.
The British Foreign Office spokesman reiterated that Britain, together with many countries whose nationals were being or had been held hostage in Lima, had sent "a team of experts" to assist its ambassadors in the Peruvian capital. The two Britons held hostage have been released.
"It is obviously a matter for the Peruvians," he said. "If the Russians feel they have something to contribute or to offer to the Peruvians, then it is a matter for them and the Peruvians."
It was learned in Stockholm that Sweden has not had a demand for political asylum by the rebels. An official statement came after one of the freed hostages, a former Peruvian independent presidential candidate, Mr Alejandro Toledo, said the rebels were considering seeking political asylum in Denmark or Sweden.
"Denmark and Sweden were the countries they were talking about from the beginning," Mr Toledo said. Ms Anna Birgersson, the Swedish government's deputy secretary for asylum requests said: "We do not know about a request for political asylum by the Tupac Amaru in Sweden."
Havana has also been mentioned as a possible destination for the guerrillas but another freed hostage, a left-wing congressman, Mr Javier Diaz Canseco, said he did not believe Cuba would be prepared "to pay the enormous political price" of taking in the guerrillas.