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Peruvian government negotiator enters Japanese ambassador's residence

First apparent contact between government and rebels comes on 11th day of crisis

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December 28, 1996
Web posted at: 2:30 p.m. EST (1930 GMT)

LIMA, Peru (CNN) -- Peruvian Education Minister Domingo Palermo accompanied Bishop Juan Luis Cipriani and Red Cross negotiator Michael Minnig into the home of the Japanese ambassador to Peru Saturday, apparently the first time the Peruvian government has been in direct contact with the rebels holding over 100 hostages inside.

President Alberto Fujimori appointed Palermo the government's chief negotiator a day after Tupac Amaru rebels stormed a party at the ambassor's residence and took over 500 people hostage on December 17. But Palermo kept his distance from the residence while Minnig handled all talks with the rebels.

There was no word on the reason for Palermo's visit to the residence, where the hostage crisis entered its 11th day with heightened security measures in and around Lima.

Fujimori signed a decree Friday placing all of Lima and the surrounding port of Calao under emergency rule for 60 days, allowing security forces to stop and search anyone at anytime.

Previously, only the center and industrial outskirts of the Peruvian capital were under a state of emergency.

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Since overrunning the Japanese ambassador's residence, the rebels have released all but 103 people. Fujimori has refused to negotiate with the rebels, and the Peruvian Congress unanimously approved a statement Friday supporting the president.

Earlier Friday, a caller directed Peruvian journalists to pick up a parcel containing a 12-point communique, supposedly from Tupac Amaru. The document condemned the government and press and quoted passages from the Bible to justify the hostage-taking. It also says that unless Peruvian media publish and broadcast the message no more hostages will be released.

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Outside Peru, the Group of Seven (G7) industrialized nations escalated its rhetoric against the hostage-takers, backing Peru's tough stand.

The countries weighed in to condemn them as terrorists and promised to help the Peruvian government with "all the appropriate means that it could request."

The communique was issued by France, which holds the organization's rotating presidency. It said the group -- along with Russia -- "reaffirmed the general principle under which no concession must be made in the face of a terrorist action" and that G7 countries "express their solidarity with the Peruvian government and support its efforts to resolve the crisis peacefully, with the main objective of sparing human lives."

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Shortly after the statement was issued, Peruvian ministers arrived at the government palace in downtown Lima for an emergency cabinet meeting with Fujimori.

Earlier on Friday, Japan, whose nationals account for the largest number of hostages after Peru, called for unity in resolving the crisis. "It is clear that the international community should not condone terrorism," Foreign Minister Yukihiko Ikeda told a news conference. "It is also necessary...to act as one to help resolve this crisis by setting free all the hostages peacefully, and at an early date."

Correspondents Susan Candiotti, Lucia Newman and Reuters contributed to this report.

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