Kidnapped German Climbers Are Free

The Turkish Foreign Ministry announced that the three German mountain climbers who were kidnapped by the Kurdish Workers Party ten days ago were released.

Bia news center - İstanbul

21-07-2008

According to NTVMSNBC’s report, the Kurdish Workers Party (PKK) released the three German mountain climbers it had kidnapped about ten days ago.

The PKK had announced it would release them when Germany stopped its hostile policies towards the PKK and Turkey ended its military operations in the region.

Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan phoned German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier and told him that the German climbers were released and they were in good health.

Germany’s foreign minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier had said Germany would not give in to blackmail. The ministry had formed a crises table.

53-year-old Helmut Johann, 49-year-old Martin Georpe and 33-year-old Lars Holper Reime were kidnapped while they were climbing to Ağrı (Mount Ararat) with a group of 13 people accompanied by a guide at 3 thousand 200 meter around 22:00 on July 8. (EZÖ/TB)

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