Lima  - Peruvian protesters freed 48 police officers - including one general - from captivity on Tuesday, but the already week-long blockade for a greater share of mining royalties continued in the southern region of Moquegua.

Thousands of demonstrators took the hostages Monday and barricaded themselves in a church in the city of Moquegua to underline their demands for more income from the Mexican copper firm Southern Copper Corp.

President Alan Garcia's chief of staff Jorge del Castillo said the government would end talks if the demonstrators didn't release the officers.

"All the police officers have now been freed," del Castillo told Radioprogramas radio station. "With this condition met, I will happily call on the parties to resume negotiations."

He is now urging protesters to negotiate a deal to divvy up mining taxes and call off roadblocks that have caused food and fuel shortages

Since Thursday, protesters have blocked a highway demanding a bigger slice of mining royalties paid. The blockade has produced shortages of food and gasoline in neighbouring Tacna province.

On Monday, about 100 police officers tried to break up the blockade by 15,000 protesters but they were overwhelmed by the rock-throwing demonstrators. The protesters took 60 officers hostage, but later released 12 injured.

The situation escalated in Moquegua - a coastal, Andean province with some 170,000 people, some 1,150 kilometres south of Peruvian capital Lima.

In 2005, Moquegua received about 117.5 million dollars and Tacna about 107 million dollars from the mine, but the mode of calculation was changed, and now Tacna is to receive 245 million dollars and Moquegua 80 million dollars. (dpa)