France asks Yemen not to use force [Archives:2006/982/Front Page]
Amel Al-Ariqi
SANA'A, Sept. 16 ) French President Jacques Chirac has asked the Yemeni government not to use force against the captors of four French tourists, Yemen's interior minister said Saturday.
“France's ambassador has said the French government and President Chirac personally have insisted that Yemeni authorities not use force, no matter how long the tourists are detained,” Rashad Mohammad Al-Alimi stated at a press conference.
The four French tourists, all men, were abducted by armed members of Al-Abdullah Bin Dahla tribe on Sept. 10 in Shabwa province, located 300 miles from Sana'a. The tribesmen threatened to kill the hostages if their demand to release five of their jailed relatives wasn't met. There was no word on any deadline.
“We know the kidnapped tourists are in good health. We're sending them food via mediators, who are negotiating with the kidnappers to free them,” Al-Alimi added.
Yemen deployed troops on Monday, Sept. 11 to try to free the tourists.
“Negotiations with the kidnappers are continuing. We have peaceful plans to free the tourists as soon as possible,” Al-Alimi noted, adding that security forces had completely sealed off the remote mountainous area to prevent the kidnappers from transferring the tourists to another region.
A local newspaper quoted a witness in Shabwa as saying that Yemeni military planes launched rockets on Al-Khubar region near Rafad region, where the kidnappers are sheltering. The witness confirmed that there was no human loss and the army only wanted to scared the kidnappers.
However, an official source denied the launching of rockets, indicating that military planes were flying at low levels and broke sonic barriers, which created the loud noises. Authorities say they will give the captors more time to free the Frenchmen.
News Yemen web site reported Saturday that the Yemeni government has refused to consider the kidnappers' demands until after Wednesday's presidential election.
A security delegation representing Yemeni authorities has taken over the negotiations after Tuesday's failure of mediation efforts by a delegation of tribal leaders.
Official reports indicate that between 1991 and 2001, 325 people were kidnapped in Yemen, including 91 French, 80 Germans, 37 Britons, 23 Americans and 22 Dutch.
Hostages generally have been released unharmed, but three Britons and an Australian seized by Islamist militants were killed when security forces stormed their hideout in Dec. 1998. So far this year, Yemen has executed at least two convicted kidnappers.
——
[archive-e:982-v:14-y:2006-d:2006-09-18-p:front]
