President Clinton offered U.S. assistance to help end the hostage crisis in Peru Wednesday - aid that may include the crack hostage rescue team known as Delta Force.

Clinton extended his offer in private messages to Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori and Japanese Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto after huddling with his national security team at the White House, according to White House Press Secretary Mike McCurry.

But McCurry said that neither Peru nor Japan had formally requested U.S. assistance by late Wednesday.

“There has never been a situation where so many hostages have been held in one specific area,” said Jose Boza, a spokesman for the embassy of Peru in Washington, D.C. “No one has experience dealing with a situation with these dimensions.”