Rebels deny holding Manila military chief captive

MANILA, Feb 3 (Reuters) Muslim separatists in the southern Philippines denied today that they were holding Manila's military chief and a group of senior government officials captive, saying they had merely asked them to stay overnight.

Rebel commander Habier Malik told a local television station that he had extended an ''invitation'' to the officials to stay longer to discuss problems with a 1996 peace deal.

''I just asked them to accept an invitation to continue our talks overnight. We have many things to talk about...We have to resolve them,'' Malik said.

Military sources had earlier said the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) was refusing to let Brigadier-General Ben Dolorfino, the commander of military forces in the capital or Ramon Santos, the head of the government's truce panel, leave their camp.

Dolorfino, a Muslim convert who had flown in for talks with the MNLF, said he and his aides were ''not hostages'', but he admitted it was unclear when he would be allowed to leave the camp, near Panamao town on Jolo island, 950 km south of Manila.

''The most (I can say is that) we are being prevented from leaving their camp because they would like to discuss policy-level matters with the Organisation of Islamic Conference and the Philippine government,'' Dolorfino told the same television station.

Police spokesman, senior superintendant Samuel Pagdilao, told Reuters the national force had been put on heightened alert because of the situation on Jolo.

Reuters MQA DB1234