Ethiopia, Britain rule out kidnap rescue mission

MEKELE, Ethiopia, Mar 10 (Reuters) Britain and Ethiopia have, for now, ruled out a military operation to rescue a group of five Europeans and eight locals kidnapped in a remote Ethiopian region, their officials said today.

The hostages were seized by gunmen nine days ago during a tour of the Afar region, one of the hottest and most hostile terrains on earth, inhabited mainly by nomadic herders.

Ethiopian Foreign Minister Seyoum Mesfin said there had been indirect contact with the kidnappers, but a rescue mission was not being prepared.

''We still have not reached that stage. So let's rule out this option for the moment, because the safety and the security of these people is most important for us,'' he told reporters in the northern town of Mekele.

''Those who are responsible are being reached through different channels, and we are hoping that these people would be freed unharmed and safe,'' he added.

Amid speculation British special forces were in the area, a British Foreign Office spokeswoman said London's priority was to reach a diplomatic solution to the abduction.

''Any military or rescue solution is going to be very much the last resort,'' she told reporters in Addis Ababa.

''That would only happen if the threat to life of the hostages represented by their capture outweighed the threat to life of a rescue operation.'' Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, meanwhile, arrived on Saturday in Mekele where British officials are waiting for news.

As well as eight Ethiopian translators, drivers and guides, the hostages include three British men, one Italian-British woman, and a French woman.

The five are all linked to the British Embassy in Ethiopia.

HISTORY OF KIDNAPPINGS Experts say the Afar region bordering Eritrea and Djibouti has a history of kidnappings, ending in the release of captives.

Minister Seyoum reiterated that the hostages were in good condition despite their captivity in the barren spot where nine Italian tourists were abducted in 1995.

Regional officials initially blamed Eritrea's military for the abduction, though in recent days they have said it may be Eritrean-backed Afar separatists.

Asmara has repeatedly denied involvement.

And today, the Foreign Office spokeswoman said Britain did not believe Eritrea was ''complicit'' in the kidnapping.

The two Horn of Africa neighbours have bitter relations stemming from a 1998-2000 border war and a still unresolved dispute over their common 1,000 km frontier.

Ethiopian officials and British diplomats are believed to be communicating with the kidnappers via local Afar elders.

''We still are trying our best through our contacts ... to urge those who are responsible for this kidnapping to release these people safe,'' Seyoum said.

The owner of travel company Origins Ethiopia complained that the kidnappings had hurt tourism to the Afar region, famed for its rock-strewn hills, vast deserts and ancient salt mines.

Samson Teshome said his business was hit by cancellations and problems finding drivers to take tourists there.

''I pay a lot more than the market rate, but no one wants to go,'' he told Reuters. ''It is going to take a long, long time for Afar to repair its image.'' RUTERS AKJ PM1857