The deadline given by the abductors of Mary Jean, Eugenio and Andreas for the pull-out of troops expired yesterday. What can you say about it?

We are extremely concerned about the fate and safety of Mary Jean, Eugenio and Andreas. We continue to hope that the worst did not happen and will not happen. The safety of our three staff is of paramount importance to the ICRC. The situation is very complicated, but we remain hopeful that the developments of recent days will not have negative consequences for our colleagues or for the population of Sulu Island.

We are not at present in a position to confirm what the situation is on the ground. The ICRC is maintaining contact with the authorities. We remain hopeful that a positive resolution of the crisis can be achieved.

We are renewing our appeal to the abductors to spare the lives of Mary Jean, Eugenio and Andreas and to let them go safe and sound.

We are also renewing our request to the Philippine authorities to do everything in their power to save the hostages' lives and to avoid taking any action that could put the ICRC staff at risk.

What is the ICRC's reaction to the fact that the state of emergency was imposed in Sulu?

We have taken note that a state of emergency has been decreed on Sulu Island. We are not in a position to comment on troop positioning or troop movements, nor would we wish to do so.

The ICRC remains hopeful that the evolving crisis, including newly imposed measures, will not affect living conditions and the security situation for the civilian population on Sulu Island.

What else can the ICRC do in this situation?

The ICRC continues to do everything it can to resolve the crisis. There are a lot of people working behind the scenes to make that happen and we are grateful for all genuine efforts to find a solution. We're not in a position to go into more detail about ongoing efforts to secure our colleagues' release because we don't want to complicate matters.

We are very anxious about our colleagues, but the others who have been kidnapped in the southern Philippines in recent weeks are also in our thoughts. We very much deplore all acts of kidnapping, which are in contradiction with fundamental humanitarian principles and international law. We are understanding of the pain of all abducted persons and their relatives, and feel a strong solidarity with them.

When was the last time you spoke to your colleagues?

Mary Jean, Eugenio and Andreas made contact with the ICRC last week. The hardship they are experiencing is enormous. Our hearts go out to our colleagues and their families, whose anguish in these circumstances is impossible to imagine.

We have taken note of reports that the kidnappers' threat was not carried out. A lot of rumours are circulating, however. We hope we can speak to Mary Jean, Eugenio and Andreas as soon as possible.

We repeat our call for the unconditional, rapid and safe release of Mary Jean, Eugenio and Andreas.

There are reports in the media questioning the ICRC's approach to the security of its staff. What can you say about that?

The ICRC takes the safety and security of its staff very seriously, and has an established record of doing so all over the world. The situation we are now facing in the Philippines is of grave concern to everybody at the ICRC. The visit of our colleagues to the Sulu provincial jail on the day they were abducted had been notified to all authorities concerned and the necessary permission had been granted. Our colleagues were abducted in broad daylight in the centre of the town of Jolo, within a few dozen metres of official buildings. As a result, we suspended our projects in the area.

However, we continue to carry out our activities in the Philippines aimed at assisting and protecting those affected by the armed conflict and other violence. Together with the Philippine National Red Cross the ICRC is assisting people still living in displacement centres in Central Mindanao. Our health, water and sanitation programmes are continuing, as are our activities in prisons and other detention centres throughout the country.

We remain convinced that we must help those in need without resorting to armed escorts or military protection. Weapons are not the way to defend our work and our principles. Nor is it under protection of arms that we can demonstrate our neutrality and independence, as we must do to be accepted on all sides – quite the contrary. We want to be able to take action in the midst of armed clashes and other violence without siding with any cause. In situations of this kind, precedents are very important. When the ICRC comes to the conclusion that a given place is too dangerous to work in without resorting to armed escorts and that it is not benefiting from a minimum of acceptance, or from an understanding of the purely humanitarian nature of its work, it usually suspends its activities or pulls out. I repeat that what happened in Jolo town on 15 January was very unexpected.