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  • ETHIOPIA: British Ambassador , Bob Dewar calls for information on British nationals kidnapped in Ethiopia

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ETHIOPIA: British Ambassador , Bob Dewar calls for information on British nationals kidnapped in Ethiopia

The British ambassador to Ethiopia appealed for information on kidnapped Europeans as the search for them deepened. Ethiopian security forces scoured a remote northeastern region on Monday (March 5) in search of a group of kidnapped Europeans, including British embassy officials, as prayers were held for them in Addis Ababa. Several British newspapers, quoting defence sources, said Britain has sent a crack Special Air Service (SAS) team to Ethiopia to help find the group which disappeared last week while visiting Afar, considered one of the world's most hostile terrains. The British Ambassador to Ethiopia, Bob Dewar, held a press conference in the capital on Monday (March 5) to call on anyone with any information about the missing to notify local authorities, "We stand ready to hear from anyone with information relating to the group's disappearance. I would urge anyone who thinks they can help to contact the British Embassy or the Ethiopian authorities, who are on the lead in this investigation, via a community leader if possible," said Dewar. The foreigners were seized near the border with Eritrea, along with 13 Ethiopians working as drivers and translators. Five Ethiopians were later found close to the frontier. "If, as has been speculated, the group is being held against their will, it may be they have been the victims of mistaken identity," said Dewar in his statement. Asmara has denied allegations by an Ethiopian official that forces from Arat military training camp in Eritrea kidnapped the Britons. Ethiopia, which suffers strained relations with its tiny neighbour following a 1998-2000 border war, said on Sunday (March 4) the identity of the kidnappers had yet to be established. Fears for the missing travellers grew in Ethiopia's small British expatriate community as another day passed with no word on the group's whereabouts.

ITN Source | March 5, 2007Watch more videos from ITN Source

Tags:. .missing. .several. .security. .march. .investigation











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