Yemeni and German officials announced on Thursday that negotiations with the kidnappers of former German ambassador to the U.S. Juergen Chrobog and his family are close to an end, report Yemeni news outlets.
Juergen Chrobog and his family were kidnapped by gunmen seeking the release of tribe members charged with murder. Chrobog was kidnapped while on vacation in Yemen. He was stopped and pulled out of his car with his wife and three sons, while driving to Shabwa, some 480 kilometers (300 miles) east of ‘Sana.
Chrobog headed negotiations in August 2003, which led to the release of 15 Western hostages kidnapped by Islamic terrorists.
Chrobog began his diplomatic career in 1972 and served at the United Nations and in Brussels, Singapore and Washington. From 1984 to 1991, he was spokesman for the German Foreign Ministry. He served as ambassador to the United States between 1995-2001.
This is the second time in one week that foreign tourists have been kidnapped in order to apply pressure on the Yemeni government. On December 24, two Austrian tourists were freed by their kidnappers. The kidnappers demanded the release of fellow tribesmen jailed for trying to reach Iraq to fight U.S. forces.
Tribal sources said negotiators had succeeded in convincing the kidnappers that the government would look into their demands.