The Yemen Post reports that tribal leaders in southern Sana’a say a ransom will be required and that securing the release of the hostages could take anywhere from a week to two months.
The paper writes that the Yemeni government has refused to negotiate with the kidnappers. The Yemen Post reports that Finnish officials in the Yemeni capital have been informed by the Yemeni government that a ransom may be required.
However, Lauri Aaltonen of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that Finnish diplomats in Yemen had received no such confirmation.
"Our representative on the spot in Yemen has been in direct contact with the local Interior Ministry, and nobody from there has confirmed this information to him," said Aaltonen.
The ministry did, however, say that Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja had discussed the matter with his opposite number Abubakr al-Qirb.
The paper reports that tribal leaders in Sana’a are helping the authorities search for the kidnappers. In addition to a ransom, the kidnappers may also demand the release of prisoners held by the Yemeni government, according to tribal sources interviewed by the newspaper.
