950829

India hopeful of

Western hostages

release after talks

SRINAGAR, (India): Indian authorities held out the hope on Tuesday of negotiating the release of four Westerners held by militants in Kashmir after a U.S. hostage said the group was unharmed despite repeated death threats.

American Donald Hutchings spoke directly to Indian officials by radio on Monday and told them he was in good health, as were the other hostages, German Dirk Hasert and Britons Keith Mangan and Paul Wells, authorities said.

It was the first direct contact between the government and the hostages since the men were abducted in early July and raised hopes Al-Faran militants and authorities could reach an agreement to free the captive tourists.

"This is another positive development," a senior official of the government of Jammu and Kashmir state said. "We are happy that despite all the deadlines and threats against them, we were able to talk to a hostage and prolong the negotiations."

Hutchings provided authorities with details about the three other men's personal lives which because of their intimate nature had to be communicated by the men themselves. Officials said that was convincing proof all four were well. "We believe they are all safe," one official said.

Despite the upbeat mood in Srinagar, summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, authorities said they did not necessarily expect an early resolution to the crisis.

"These things take time," one official said. "We have to have a lot of patience and prolong the negotiations."

India has flatly ruled out a swap of jailed militants for the hostages, saying it would only encourage more abductions in Kashmir where police and hospitals say more than 20,000 people have died in a five-year-old separatist revolt.

But it has said a possible agreement could involve the release of the hostages and a certain number of jailed separatists who might have been freed anyway under a regular review.

New Delhi has also said a rescue raid could imperil the hostages. Foreign experts are believed to have helped map a possible commando mission, but the operation has been put on hold as negotiations move forward.

"We are talking," an official said. "We are not talking very loud at this point because our real concern is for the safety of the hostages."-Reuter