Talks begin for abductees` rescue

The Korean government yesterday said negotiations have begun with Nigerian militants for nine Korean oil workers who were taken hostage in an overnight raid at the volatile oil-rich Niger Delta area on Wednesday.

The kidnappers contacted the Korean side early in the morning and full-fledged negotiations were set to begin in the evening Korean time.

The Foreign Ministry refused to identify the abductors, citing safety concerns for the hostages, but said the Korean workers are confirmed to be unharmed so far.

An unidentified group early Wednesday kidnapped the nine South Koreans and one Nigerian in the Niger Delta region, south Nigeria.

The armed militants stormed Daewoo Engineering and Construction`s oil facility on the outskirts of Yenagoa, the capital of Bayelsa state.

More than 60 foreign oil workers have been abducted in Africa`s largest oil-producing country in the past year.

Korea`s Deputy Foreign Minister Shim Yoon-joe called in Nigerian Ambassador Abba Abdullahi Tijjani yesterday morning to discuss the hostage situation. He has also asked Lagos to help release the kidnapped workers.

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The largest separatist group in the region, the Movement for Emancipation of Niger Delta, denied any involvement in the latest abduction. MEND was responsible for a 40-hour kidnapping of five Korean workers in June last year.

Sources said it was most likely done by a smaller group possibly wanting ransom money.

"We cannot verify yet the detailed demands of (the kidnappers)," Korea`s Second Vice Foreign Minister Kim Ho-young told reporters.

Close cooperation from the Nigerian government is crucial, Seoul officials said.

The Nigerian government reportedly told Korean Foreign Minister Song Min-soon that President Olusegun Obasanjo understands the gravity of the situation and is taking a personal interest in the case, Kim said.

Seoul has dispatched several officials, including its ambassador to the Cote D`ivoire, to Nigeria to help with the negotiations. An additional three or four officials from the Foreign Ministry, the National Intelligence Service and the National Police Agency were set to be dispatched to the area, sources said.

(angiely@heraldm.com)



By Lee Joo-hee