THE Japanese Prime Minister, Mr Ryutaro Hashimoto, and the Peruvian President, Mr Alberto Fujimori, are to meet in Toronto on Saturday to discuss ways to end the six week old Lima hostage crisis, government sources said yesterday.
In a sign of growing worry that negotiations to free the 72 captives at the Japanese ambassador's residence have stalled, the sources, said Mr Hashimoto would leave Japan tomorrow for a meeting with Mr Fujimori in Toronto on Saturday. He would return to Tokyo on Sunday.
The sources said Canada was chosen as a neutral site for the meeting because the Canadian ambassador to Peru, Mr Anthony Vincent, was on a so called peace panel which, it is hoped would be the forum for negotiations between the guerrillas and Peru's government.
Both sides have accepted the panel's role in solving the crisis.
The other members of the panel are Mr Michel Minnig, head of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Lima, and Lima's Archbishop, Dr Juan Luis Cipriani.
In , the past two days, Mr Hashimoto has urged Mr Fujimori in telephone calls to be careful about stepping up pressure on the leftist Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement (MRTA) guerrillas holding the 72 hostages.
Efforts 19 start talks with the guerrillas have stalled over the main rebel demand of freedom for about 400 jailed comrades which Mr Fujimori has refused to discuss.
The MRTA rebels seized hundreds of guests when they stormed a garden party at the ambassador's residence.
They released most but kept those they considered important bargaining chips, including two Peruvian ministers, generals, security chiefs and about two dozen Japanese businessmen and diplomats, including the Japanese and Bolivian ambassadors.
The rebels fired several bullets on Monday at police aboard a convoy of armoured cars after officers made obscene gestures toward the residence while parading by.
Even after the shooting, security forces, which had orders not to return fire, continued their manoeuvres in an apparent attempt to crack the resolve of the estimated 15 rebels.
"We recognise the need to tighten the guard around the residence but want you to take sufficient care that nothing unexpected occurs, Mr Hashimoto told the Peruvian President in a telephone call on Tuesday.
In an apparent reaction to the call, the Peruvian government announced it was considering closer co operation with Tokyo to help end the siege peacefully.
Mr Fujimori, whose brother Pedro is among the captives, hash insisted the police moves are not a prelude to an assault but a tightening of security prior to talks and a negotiated exit.