Maoist rebels who abducted two Italian nationals in the eastern state of Orissa in India have claimed that the men are being looked after.

Rebel leader Sunil released a recorded message in which he has said that the Italians were well, were taken cared of and were getting good food.

The Italians, one of whom is a tour operator and the other a tourist, were kidnapped on Saturday while trekking in the Kandhamal district of Orissa. This is the first time that foreigners have been kidnapped by the Maoist rebels. The Indian cook and driver who were traveling with the men were, however, released. The left-wing rebels claim that the Italian men were taking photographs of bathing tribal women.

After the abduction, the insurgents had brought out a list of demands which they claim had to be met for the release of the two foreign nationals, Paolo Bosusco and Claudio Colangelo. They are demanding an end to security operations against the rebels in the state as well as the release of Maoist rebels from jails in exchange for the two Italian hostages.

The Maoist problem is not a new one in India. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has called this insurgency India's biggest internal security threat which has killed more than 2000 people so far. In a fight that has spanned decades, the insurgents have fought for, amongst other things, the rights of the poor in their area, especially for their land.

In the developing hostage crisis Maoist interlocutor, Dandapani Mohanty, has stated that talks cannot go forward until the release of their leader Narayan Sanyal, who is in prison right now. An audio tape was released in which one of the leaders stated that the deadline for agreeing to their demands was extended to Tuesday, until which time they were going to refrain from violence.

The Chief Minister of the Indian state of Orissa, Naveen Patnaik, has said that they would also stop all actions against the insurgents while the talks are on. But, whether the government will concede to their demands of freeing jailed leaders and other rebels is not certain.

Senior rebel leader Sabyasachi Panda, who is the demanding the release Sanyal clearly stated that the talks between them and the government cannot happen without the mediation of three activists, one of whom is Sanyal. He added that without the senior leader, the negotiations would be "doomed".