San Salvador Atenco, Mexico, July 15: Mexico's government said it expected to resolve "within hours" a four-day violent standoff with farmers opposing the construction of a new airport outside Mexico City but the protesters refused to release hostages.


Mexican authorities began freeing about a dozen jailed protesters on bail in a bid to bring a peaceful end to the battle with the machete-wielding farmers of San Salvador Atenco, about 18 miles outside of Mexico City. "It's very likely that the release, both of the representatives of the Atenco group and those under guard in the town auditorium, will be concluded in the next few hours," Mexican Interior Minister Santiago Creel told a news conference late Sunday night.
But protest leader David Pajaro said the hostages -- believed to be at least 11 -- would not be released until all the arrested farmers were freed. National television reported that eight have been freed so far.
Earlier, state authorities said legal action had begun against nine of the 12 detainees.
The standoff began Thursday with street battles between police and protesters in which 30 were injured, three seriously. Since then hundreds of farmers armed with sticks, knives and machetes have kept police ringing the town at bay.

Pajaro said formal talks with the government had not begun and invited rancher President Vicente Fox to go riding with him to hold a dialogue in person.
Protesters want a government decree expropriating land they have farmed for generations to build the $2 billion international airport to be scrapped.
The government announced in October it would expropriate more than 10,000 acres of land to build the new, six-runway airport, the biggest public works project to be announced since President Vicente Fox took office in 2000.
The existing Mexico City airport, which has two runways, cannot be extended as it is surrounded by residential areas and is reaching saturation point, according to officials. Bureau Report