JOLO?A Muslim cleric has been asked to mediate in talks to free three Red Cross workers being held in Mindanao by terrorists, an official said Thursday.

The cleric, who has not yet been named, would head a group of people from influential Muslim families from Jolo, where the kidnapping took place, said the island?s mayor, Hussin Amin.

The International Committee of the Red Cross workers were kidnapped by members of the Abu Sayyaf on Jan. 15 while on a humanitarian mission to help inmates at Jolo municipal jail.

?This is the first move to open communications between the captors and the authorities,? Amin said.

The three workers ? Andreas Notter of Switzerland, Eugenio Vagni of Italy, and Filipina Mary-Jean Lacaba ? are said to be in good health and have been able to telephone relatives.

The Abu Sayyaf has not made any ransom demands so far, but has asked the government to allow diplomats from the hostages? countries as well as the country?s vice president to negotiate with them.

The military has rejected a demand from the rebels for troops to pull out of Jolo, but said it was prepared to launch rescue operations once all peaceful means to solve the crisis were exhausted.

In an interview with a local daily this week, Lacaba said no one had yet started talks to free them. Notter said his two colleagues had suffered severe diarrhea while in captivity, though they remained unharmed so far.

Alain Aeschlimann, the Red Cross? Geneva-based head of operations for Asia, said the agency had spoken to the hostages ?on a relatively regular basis.?

?We?ve taken note of the article,? he said, referring to the interview. ?They are being held hostage, so we do not know the circumstances in which they spoke to the journalist.?

He urged caution in discussing the situation so as not to jeopardize the safety of his staff. AFP