Guerrilla Leader, Official Hold First Hostage Talks

A guerrilla leader and government representative held the first direct talks in six weeks Tuesday after the rebel leader finally ventured from the besieged Japanese ambassador’s house where he has been holed up with hostages.

The talks were launched after a man reported to be Roli Rojas Fernandez, the Tupac Amaru rebels’ second-in-command, entered a white car with Red Cross markings that made the short trip from the compound to a two-story, ocher-colored house.

The car drove into a garage, and the door closed. Four hours later, the car carried its passenger back to the ambassador’s residence.

Members of special police units, dressed in black and armed with automatic weapons, were stationed along the street.