Yemeni officials meet freed Germans

SANA'A, Dec. 20 (Saba)- Three Germans kidnapped by tribesmen were
freed on Friday after a four-day hostage ordeal in the remote area
of Bani Dhabyan, some 80 km east of the capital Sana'a.

At the Ministry of Interior in Sana'a, German woman architect Julia
Thielebein and her parents were received by Interior Minister Rashad
al-Masry, Tourism Minister Nabil al-Faqih and German diplomats.

Minister al-Masry condemned the kidnapping of the German citizens,
pointing out that act is criminalized under the law, the principles
of the Islamic religion and the Yemeni people's moral values.

The Minister affirmed that the release of the Germans took place
without offering any ransom, saying that security operations were on
the verge of being launched for securing their release.

The Minister of Interior confirmed the security services would not
hesitate to deter such criminal acts which harm Yemen and its people
and cause severe damages to the national economy.

For their part, the freed Germans expressed highly appreciation for
the Yemeni government's efforts to release them without subjecting
them to any hurt.

Speaking to Saba, Julia and her parents said that the incident would
not affect at all their love for Yemen and its hospitable people.

The Germany deputy ambassador in Sana'a Michael Ruiz expressed the
German government's appreciation of Yemen's efforts to secure the
release of the German hostages.