But Swift claimed Zamora promised to expedite and finish the talks within 30 to 60 days.

During the meeting, Swift was accompanied by his Filipino co-counsel Rod Domingo Jr. and sectoral Rep. Loretta Ann ''Etta'' Rosales, who represented the rights victims belonging to the group called Claimants 1081.

Rights victims belonging to the Samahan ng mga Ex-detainees Laban sa Detensyon at para sa Amnestiya were not represented in the meeting, but Swift said all the 9,539 Marcos victims would benefit from the outcome of the compensation talks.

''No agreements,'' said Zamora. ''They presented their position, which is essentially asking the Philippine government to come to an agreement as soon as possible. We did not negotiate. I basically listened to their position. ''We are not in a position right now to negotiate because there are many issues that still remain unsolved,'' he added.

Zamora welcomed reports that former first lady Imelda Marcos expressed willingness to surrender to the victims $150 million of the seized Marcos bank deposits.

Zamora said the government was prepared to talk separately to the various groups of claimants, including those represented by Swift and those by Luis Jalandoni of the National Democratic Front.

''We are hoping,'' he said, ''they can get together to make it easier for us but if not, we will talk to them (the communists and the lawyers) separately,'' regarding the disposition of the Marcos wealth.

''We are not interested in who is representing which victim,'' he added. ''The more important persons are the human rights victims themselves.''

Swift said Zamora agreed that any compensation from the escrow account would be coursed through and distributed by the US District Court, which awarded the victims $1.9 billion.

The award with accrued interest, has grown to $2.5 billion, according to Swift.

Asked what may have made Ms Marcos offer $150 million to the victims, Rosales said the former first lady had been complaining she could not easily go to the United States because of a pending arrest warrant issued by the US court for contempt of court.

Swift said the US court had fined Ms Marcos and her son Ferdinand Jr. $100,000 a day. The fine has accumulated and already amounted to $110 million, he said. ''Apparently, Ms Marcos did not want the threat of being arrested anytime she or her son goes to the US,'' Rosales said.

Former Solicitor General Raul Goco maintained no compromise agreement with the Marcoses was possible without involving the dropping of criminal charges against the family of the late dictator. ''The government has first to obtain a final judgment from the Philippine courts that the $570 million was ill-gotten,'' said Goco. ''That's when the money could be withdrawn, distributed or subjected to compromise.''

Goco was responsible for the transfer of the money from the Swiss banks to the Philippine National Bank.

By Cathy Cañares and Christine Herrera

With a report from AFP