Austrian foreign ministry: release of hostages is a question of time

Austrian foreign ministry said the release of two Austrian tourists being held hostage by Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb is a question of time.

The kidnappers extended the deadline for the meeting of their demands by a week, according to a statement posted on the Internet Monday.

“Aid offered by countries in the region including Libya, Algeria and Tunisia can speed up the release of the two hostages who were kidnapped on February 22nd in southern Tunisia,” Martin Gertner, the ministry spokesman told Echorouk.

“Austria is not thinking of the deadline as much as it is concerned about the necessity of ending the crisis as soon as possible especially that the Easter Day is approaching,” he added.

Negotiations are carried out between Anton Prohaska, the former Austrian ambassador to France and mediators for the release of Wolfgang Ebner and Andrea Kloiber.

Mike Voegel, a press coordinator said the hostages’ families had learned that Wolfgang Ebner and Andrea Kloiber are in good conditions and were not harmed by the kidnappers.