LONDON, March 9 (UPI) -- Britain has denied claims suggesting a group of British embassy staff kidnapped last week have been found.
Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett, in a statement Friday in Brussels, said she had received a message from the Ethiopian government saying the abducted staffs were safe and well. She said the government was still attempting to establish whether the reports were correct.
At the same time, she added, there were conflicting reports claiming knowledge of the whereabouts of the five people, who were abducted Thursday last week while on a tourist visit in northern Ethiopia.
"There are other reports about perhaps where they might be located. We obviously are looking into that but we are very anxious. The safety of those people comes first," Beckett said.
She said there had so far been no independent verification about their safety, but only information which was sent to the embassy. "You can't have independent verification of whether they're safe and well until we know where they are and have contact with them," she added.
Excellent cooperation, Beckett said, has been given by the Ethiopian and Eritrean governments as well as regional nations. "Everybody has been extremely helpful and cooperative and we've appreciated that very much," Beckett added.
Meanwhile, Paula Corrans, a press officer at the Foreign Office in London, told United Press International in a telephone interview that the British government was refusing to speculate on Eritrean government involvement in the kidnappings. Eritrea has consistently denied involvement, but some claim they know more than they are letting on.
