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Missing Sahara tourists âfoundâ
A number of Europeans who are among 32 tourists presumed to have been kidnapped in the Sahara desert have been found, according to officials. Ten Austrians, six Germans and a Swede have been released and are said to be in good health, according to the foreign ministries in Vienna, Berlin and Stockholm. The fate of the other tourists - including 10 Germans, four Swiss and one Dutch citizen - is not clear. Announcing the release of six Germans, Interior Minister Otto Schily said he could not give more details. Speaking on German television he described the situation as "precarious". But he said there was hope that the 10 Germans would soon be free. These developments come a day after the German Foreign Minister, Joschka Fischer, spoke of hostage-takers for the first time. Mr Fischer visited Algeria on Monday, where he held talks with President Abdelaziz Bouteflika. In the past few weeks there had been growing European pressure for the Algerian authorities to resolve the mystery surrounding the tourists' fate.I'll be interested to know whether EU funds have been used to bankroll terrorists (again) or to encourage the Algerian authorities to maintain law and order in their own country. Posted by: Bulldog 2003-05-14 |
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