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| Arabia |
| Finland Minister Holds Hostage Talks in Yemen |
| 2013-04-01 |
| [An Nahar] Finnish Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja held talks in Sanaa on Sunday on the fate of a couple from Finland held hostage in Yemen together with an Austrian since December. State media said he met President Abdrabuh Mansour Hadi, who did not rule out the use of force to secure their release. "The hostages must be released using all means possible, including the use of force, but with caution to make sure they remain safe," said Hadi, quoted on the defense ministry's website. The three Europeans were kidnapped in the Yemeni capital on December 21 as they prepared to travel to the southern port of Aden. In early January, Yemeni security officials said the Europeans were being held by al-Qaeda-linked rustics in Marib province of eastern Yemen. Yemeni forces in January suspended an offensive aimed at freeing the hostages that cost more than 65 lives, and tribal mediators were allowed to attempt a negotiation with the kidnappers. |
| Posted by:Fred |