Reply
Sun 17 Aug, 2003 01:10 pm
Quote:BAMAKO, Aug 17 (Reuters) - A senior German official arrived in Mali on Sunday hoping to secure the release of 14 European hostages held by Algerian militants for more than five months.
"I am here, we are prepared to bring our people home, but I can't tell you anything. I don't know how long it will take," Deputy Foreign Minister Juergen Chrobog said as he began his second visit in four days to the West African country.
The hostages -- nine Germans, four Swiss and one Dutch -- are thought to be being held by an Algerian militant group known as the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC), who are fighting for a purist Islamist state.
It is thought they are in a lawless desert region of Mali, which shares a border with Algeria.
A flurry of diplomatic activity in the Malian capital Bamako has raised hopes the hostages will soon be freed. Malian officials said the release could happen this week and Chrobog said during his previous visit last Thursday he was confident a deal could be reached soon.
"I wouldn't be here if we weren't hopeful, but it could take some time," Chrobog said on Sunday after arriving in Bamako. "We hope the matter ends well."
He said a German air force plane was on standby to take the hostages home.
Citing unnamed sources in Bamako, Germany's Bild am Sonntag newspaper said the release could happen on Monday after Mali officials travelled to the border region with Algeria at the weekend to negotiate with the militants.
The German and Swiss Foreign Ministries both declined to comment on the report, citing the need not to endanger the hostages' safety. A Dutch Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said she had heard the report, but could not confirm it.
German officials who are coordinating efforts to free the hostages have refused to confirm or deny reports that the kidnappers have demanded a ransom of 4.6 million euros ($5.18 million) and security guarantees.
A Malian official said on Friday the hostage takers' demand was too much for the government of the impoverished country to pay, but did not say whether some sort of ransom would be paid.
The 14 hostages were among 32 European tourists seized in February and March as they travelled in a remote area of southern Algeria famous for ancient grave sites but also known for arms and drugs smuggling.
Seventeen hostages were freed by Algerian commandos in May. A German woman is reported to have died of heatstroke.
Siegel-online and German tv ARD report that the hostages will be free the next hour.
[This is 'International News', which is of course of not much interest to US-Americans.]
18 Aug 2003, 20:31 UTC
Fourteen European hostages have been released after a five month ordeal in the Sahara desert.
Nine Germans, four Swiss and a Dutch tourist have been released after a five months held by an Islamic fundamentalist group in the Sahara desert.
Their release comes at the end of a day of uncertainty over whether the kidnappers would be released Monday as promised. The German government has been reluctant to release details throughout the negotiation process.
The fourteen were part of a group of 32 European tourists who were kidnapped while touring the deserts of southern Algeria, known for its ancient burial sites.
Seventeen of the initial 32 hostages were freed in a raid by Algerian special forces. Since then, the remaining 14 hostages were held in unknown locations in neighboring Mali.
According to the government of Algeria, the kidnappers belong to a group called the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat who are fighting for a purist Islamist state in Algeria.
Stumble It!
Tweet This
Bookmark on Delicious
Share on Facebook
Share on MySpace