'Put pressure on Eritrea'
2007-03-16 20:52
Addis Ababa - Ethiopia on called on Friday for international pressure on Eritrea, which it accuses of holding eight Ethiopians still missing after the release of five European captives this week.
A British embassy group of five people, abducted in the northeast Ethiopian desert on March 1, was released on Tuesday in Eritrea, but eight Ethiopian drivers and guides accompanying them are still missing.
"We have to keep up the pressure. The international community should also put the pressure on the Eritrean government to release the eight Ethiopian hostages," said Ethiopian foreign ministry spokesperson Soloman Abebe.
"The media should work as they were working before when the Europeans were kidnapped," Abebe said, the day after the much-publicised return to Britain of the five ex-captives - three British men, one British-Italian woman and a French woman.
But Abebe added that there was no news on efforts to release the Ethiopian captives.
Eritrea, which has strongly denied any involvement in the abduction, rejected Ethiopia's statement, claiming it was a ploy to damage Asmara's reputation.
Asmara blames Ethiopian rebels
Eritrean information minister Ali Abdu said its arch-foe was lying to curry favour with the United States, which Asmara accuses of backing Ethiopia to destabilise Eritrea.
"They are not in Eritrea," said Ali.
"It is just bluffing, with the aim of trying to gain some kind of smiling face from the administration in Washington."
Asmara blames Ethiopian rebels in the Afar region for the abduction.
Britain's foreign office and the former captives have shown caution in blaming anybody for the abductions in remote territory close to the border over which Ethiopia and Eritrea fought a war in 1998-'00.
In a statement after their release, the group expressed concern for the eight Ethiopians among 13 who had been with them. Five of the Ethiopians were freed three days after the abduction.
More than 50 Ethiopians and Europeans held prayers in Addis Ababa on Thursday evening for the release of the remaining Ethiopian captives.
- SAPA