17/03/07 (B387-A) AFP (en anglais) L’Ethiopie demande à la communauté internationale de faire pression sur l’Erythrée pour obtenir la libération des huit accompagnateurs éthiopiens des cinq otages européens libérés récemment. L’inquiétude sur le sort de ces otages éthiopiens est très grande. (Info lectrice)

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, »
Ethiopian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Soloman Abebe told Agence France-Presse.

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.

On Wednesday Ethiopia’s government, led by Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, demanded
« the unconditional release of the eight Ethiopian nationals, victims
of terrorism ».

In its statement the government repeated allegations of Eritrea’s involvement
in the abduction, already strongly denied by Asmara, which points the finger
at Ethiopian rebels in the Afar region.

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 to 2000.

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.