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Captives could soon go free Erickson, kidnappers agree on ransom, Ecuador�s military chief says By Melissa Martin Three Gold Hill helicopter mechanics held hostage in the jungle of Ecuador for 127 days could be released soon after Erickson Air-Crane reached a ransom agreement with kidnappers, the head of Ecuador�s armed forces said Wednesday. Kidnappers reportedly agreed to an estimated $11 million offer just ahead of their deadline to kill another captive. "With relation to the deadline of today or tomorrow to execute a second captive, I have information that yesterday, negotiations were restarted,�� Vice Adm. Miguel Saona, head of Ecuador�s military Joint Chiefs of Staff, told Gama Television. "The criminal group said it would not execute anyone else and I understand they have reached some economic arrangement," Saona said on the Quito television station Wednesday. But a State Department spokesman in Washington, D.C., could neither confirm nor deny the report of the settlement and cautioned that the situation remains delicate. "We�re talking about the lives of seven people, including four Americans," said Christopher Lamora, spokesman for the Bureau of Consular Affairs of the Department of State. "I don�t want to say anything that will potentially endanger anyone," Lamora said. "We continue to hope for their release as soon as possible, unharmed and unconditionally. But getting them out safely is the most important thing." On Oct. 12, gunmen seized 10 foreigners working in Ecuador oil fields. Two French pilots escaped, and an American hostage was killed by kidnappers last week. Four of the seven remaining hostages � Gold Hill residents Arnold D. Alford, 41, Steven Derry, 40, Jason M. Weber, 29, and New Zealander Dennis Corrin � are employed by Erickson Air-Crane. The Central Point-based company builds and operates heavy-lift helicopters around the world. The 11th-hour settlement was reached the day before the kidnappers� Feb. 15 deadline demanding payment and threatening more murders. The bullet-ridden body of Missouri hostage Ronald Sanders was discovered Jan. 31 in an isolated jungle thicket near Lago Agrio. He was an employee of Tulsa-based Helmerich & Payne, Inc., an oil and gas drilling and exploration company that works extensively in South America. The kidnappers originally demanded an $80 million ransom, then dropped it to $15 million. Negotiators countered with $11 million, according to Arturo Torres, an editor with El Comercio newspaper in Quito. Lee Ramage, Erickson�s chief operating officer, wouldn�t respond to media calls, including questions about ransom payments. He said in a written statement: "With regard to recent reports of developments in Ecuador, Erickson Air-Crane will neither confirm nor deny these, or any other, reports until all of the hostages are safely home with their families." Friends and family remained hopeful and silent, according to Marilou Crowell, a Rogue River resident and friend of Derry. "It�s a very critical stage right now," Crowell said. "We want to see them on American soil." Mike Derry of Medford said he would refrain from comment until his brother Steven is "on the plane and headed home." U.S. Congressman Greg Walden said he feels encouraged, but cautious. "I am optimistic and hopeful," Walden said from his office in Washington, D.C. "But the history of these situations indicates that a lot of information can come out and there can still be a lot of time transpire between the resolution and the freedom of the people being held hostage. "I look forward to the day we can report their release because we�ve seen them," Walden said. Payment for hostages creates a dangerous precedent for residents, as well as for the estimated 300 Americans who work in this oil-rich region, the Ecuador armed forces leader said. The number of Americans working in Ecuador may double when construction begins on a new pipeline later this year. "At the moment when the rescue is paid, it�s very dangerous," Saona told Gama Television. Reuters Spanish news service in Quito reported the interview Wednesday. "Tomorrow, you or I � everyone � is susceptible. We�re a blank target to be kidnapped and it�s a very grave problem." The Associated Press contributed to this report. Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.