1.   Although Philippine officials acknowledge that their country has been a haven for groups linked to bin Laden, the question is whether it remains one.

2.   As talks opened in Washington, though, Philippine officials were taking a hard line.

3.   But according to the State Department summary, Philippine officials believe Pyongyang has sold conventional weapons to a Filipino terrorist group, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.

4.   But it also criticized Philippine officials, citing the secretaries of Foreign Affairs and of Labor for not protecting the interests of some three million overseas workers.

5.   Currently, monkeys are tested before export only for tuberculosis, which Philippine officials claim is the only disease known to be transmitted from monkeys to humans.

6.   Frustration over the failure to secure the release the Burnhams comes in a week when Philippine officials have had to deal with new terrorism.

7.   In interviews this week, Philippine officials and commentators elaborated on that view.

8.   On Saturday, a senior Philippine official said Burnham had been killed in crossfire, by Philippine soldiers.

9.   Philippine officials have also complicated negotiations on some occasions with contradictory or threatening public statements.

10.   Philippine officials have said that their soldiers will undertake a rescue operation with American support.