| Submit your comments on this article |
| Africa North |
| Austria remains confident that Al-Qaeda hostages will be released |
| 2008-05-31 |
| Austrians held hostage by an Al-Qaeda linked group spent their 100th day in captivity on Friday, as the Austrian government voiced confidence in their eventual release. "Our work is characterised by confidence," said Peter Launsky-Tieffenthal, foreign ministry spokesman and spokesman for the crisis team handling the case. "Everyone working for their release believe that the two hostages are still alive," Launsky-Tieffenthal said. Wolfgang Ebner, 51, and Andrea Kloiber, 44, were seized in Tunisia on February 22 by Al-Qaeda's north African offshoot but are now believed to be held in Mali. Last week, the Austrian diplomat heading the team of negotiators, Anton Prohaska, said: "My feeling is that we are halfway across choppy waters in a boat which we mustn't rock too much or else it could go under. (But) we can see the other side, it's within our reach." A Malian official within the negotiating team added: "Things are progressing, but slowly. Contact has been made on several occasions through intermediaries. What is important is that the hostages are alive, and that the kidnappers respect their commitment to keeping them alive." On Friday, foreign ministry spokesman Launsy-Tieffenthal noted the long and arduous process of negotiation, since conflicts between different tribes in Mali and ambush attacks on supply transports by local gangs could indirectly affect the release efforts. In addition, the hostage takers refused to communicate via mobile or satellite phones for fear of being located. "Messages are handed over personally. That takes time, sometimes up to 10 days," Launsky-Tieffenthal said. A spokesman for the hostages' families, Michael Vogl, said Ebner's and Kloiber's relatives "hope that the kidnapping will soon be over. But it might take time. The kidnapping of Swiss and German tourists in the Sahara in 2003 lasted 177 days." The crisis team was in almost daily contact with the families and had assured them that negotiations were going well, Vogl said. "For this reason, the families hope they will soon be reunited with their loved ones," Vogl said. "We know the negotiators are doing everything to bring about a positive solution. We have to be patient," he added. Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb only acknowledged responsibility for the kidnapping on March 10. The kidnappers initially demanded the release of a number of Islamic extremists imprisoned in Algeria and Tunisia. Then they later asked for the withdrawal of Austrian troops from Afghanistan and the release of two Islamic militants jailed in Vienna, with unconfirmed press reports saying a five million euro (7.9 million dollars) ransom was also being sought. |
| Posted by:Fred |