The 17 rebels inside the residence are demanding the liberation of more than 400 of their comrades who are being held in Peruvian jails, and an improvement in prison conditions.

The rebels, who took over the residence on Dec. 17, are demanding the release of 450 of their comrades being held in Peruvian jails.

Before the accusations over the tunnel, negotiators for both sides had laid down their points of compromise but remained divided over the rebels' demand for the release of 460 or so insurgents from Peruvian jails.

In her only interview from a Peruvian jail, Lori Berenson describes the harsh conditions of her confinement and tells how her captors have mistreated her fellow prisoners.

For their part, the rebels have demanded the release of more than 300 of their comrades now held in Peruvian jails and safe passage to a haven deep in the Andes.

His goal, he said, was the release of more than 450 Tupac Amaru members in Peruvian jails.

But he said Tupac Amaru was sticking to its original demand: the release of more than 400 members from Peruvian jails.

But another guerrilla leader, Tito, once told him that he would not agree to end the occupation unless President Fujimori released all 450 prisoners from the Tupac Amaru movement in Peruvian jails.

The rebels are asking for the release of their comrades from Peruvian jails, something the Government has said it will never agree to.

Both men have so far been unwilling to bend on the issue of releasing the several hundred members of the guerrilla group who are in Peruvian jails.