Yemeni tribesmen free kidnapped French tourists

SANAA, Sep 25 (Reuters) Yemeni tribesmen released four French tourists today after holding them hostage for more than two weeks, officials in France and Yemen said today.

The tribesmen kidnapped the tourists and threatened to kill them to press Yemen's government to release jailed relatives. It was not immediately clear if their demands had been met.

The tourists arrived in the capital Sanaa accompanied by a Yemeni member of parliament who was part of the team negotiating with the hostage-takers, government officials said.

They said the four appeared to be in good health.

French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin sent his thanks to the Yemeni authorities for their assistance in freeing the hostages, his office said in a statement.

The tourists were seized in Shabwa province on Sept. 10. Yemen deployed troops to try to secure their release.

Scores of holidaymakers and foreigners working in Yemen have been kidnapped in the past decade by tribesmen demanding better schools, roads and services, or the release of prisoners. Most have been released unharmed.

President Ali Abdullah Saleh has vowed to crack down on the abductions of foreigners which, along with attacks by al Qaeda, are hindering the poor Arab state's efforts to boost tourism.

REUTERS BDP PM2057