LEFT-WING rebels holding some 140 hostages in the besieged home of the Japanese ambassador in Lima indicted yesterday that no further concessions would be made following the release of 225 hostages.
In a statement read by the former labour minister, Mr Sandro Fuentes, who was released on Sunday shortly before the others, the rebels said the freedom of the remaining hostages "will only be possible if the government frees our militants".
The rebels' leader accused the government of "inflexibility and persistent cruelty" and of violating "legal principles" for pardoning law enforcement officers he said were guilty of human rights violations. The rebels also condemned what they termed President Alberto Fujimori's "intransigence".
The White House welcomed the release of seven US nationals from the compound, and expressed its "great appreciation to the government of President Fujimori" for its assistance.
The Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement (MRTA) rebels released 225 hostages late on Sunday but said the remaining 140 including Asian diplomats and businessmen would stay until the government freed more than 400 of their jailed comrades.
Peru yesterday released 132 prisoners from jail in a Christmas goodwill gesture but none were comrades of the rebels, anti-terrorist police said.
In Tokyo, the Japanese Prime Minister, Mr Ryutaro Hashimoto said the latest release had increased pressure on the remaining 140 captives. "The guerrillas reduced the hostages to the number that they can control. This has intensified tension," he noted.
"We may have to be prepared to see it take a long time" before the crisis ends, Mr Hashimoto added. "But, on the other hand if it takes long it means the Peruvian government is not resorting to a drastic measure." A spokesman for the rebels warned yesterday that any attempt to free the hostages by force could lead to their deaths.
"In every war, there arc deaths. In the case of an assault, the way Fujimori's government envisages it, the hostages will probably die," Mr Isaac Velazco told a press conference in Berlin. "What is happening here is cold reality. There will be no movie ending, with a Rambo or Sylvester Stallone," he said replying to rumours of a US intervention.
The released hostages most of whom looked tired but in good health were taken by bus to the National Police Hospital, where they were met by Mr Fujimori.
The Austrian ambassador to Peru, Mr Artur Scfruschnigg, said the rebels each had explosives strapped to their bodies. "Each of them is wearing a belt with 15 kilograms of explosives and a small ring. If they had set off the mechanism, there wouldn't be much left of the residence," he said.
The remaining hostages include the Japanese ambassador, Mr Morihisa Aiko, and the Peruyan Foreign Minister, Mr Francisco Tudela.
The former Sandinista president of Nicaragua, Mr Daniel Ortega, said the hostage taking in Peru was a wake up call for Latin America's governments to address the growing gap between rich and poor.