Austrian FM, al-Qaeda hold talks
2008-06-04 08:46
Vienna - Austrian Foreign Minister Ursula Plassnik confirmed on Tuesday that she had made a trip to Mali and Algeria in the past few days to discuss the case of two Austrians kidnapped in Tunisia in February.
Just a day after her spokesperson had denied that Plassnik had made the trip, the foreign minister released a statement saying that she had paid a lightning visit to both Bamako and Algiers "in the past few days".
"As part of our efforts to secure the safe and healthy return of Andrea Kloiber and Wolfgang Ebner, I had long been planning a possible trip to the region," Plassnik said.
"I have now undertaken the trip. I was in Bamako and Algiers."
And the minister continued: "The aim of my visit was - by means of personal talks at the highest possible level - to underline how important the case is to Austria and to secure the support of our partners."
The officials she had spoken to "assured me their interest in a rapid and safe return of Andrea Kloiber and Wolfgang Ebner to Austria", Plassnik added.
'Things are moving forward'
Only on Monday, Plassnik's spokesperson Peter Launsky-Tieffenthal had insisted that the visit "did not take place". Launsky-Tieffenthal added: "Mrs Plassnik had private engagements on Sunday and Monday. She was not in Africa."
The spokesperson said that Plassnik was now in Greece, where she was slated to attend a conference on women's rights in the Middle East.
A diplomatic source in Mali had said that Plassnik "arrived on Sunday night and returned on a special plane this Monday.
"She came to thank the Malian authorities for everything they have done to ensure the liberation of the two Austrian hostages," the source had added.
Ebner, 51, and Kloiber, 44, were seized in Tunisia on February 22, with al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb acknowledging responsibility on March 10.
The pair was believed to have been held since in Mali.
Another well-informed source also said that "things are moving forward" in the case, after Austrian authorities last week said they were confident following progress in negotiations with the kidnappers.
The kidnappers initially demanded the release of a number of Islamic extremists imprisoned in Algeria and Tunisia in exchange for the hostages.
They later asked for the withdrawal of Austrian troops from Afghanistan and the release of two Islamic militants jailed in Vienna, with press reports saying a five million euro ($7.9m) ransom was also being sought.