Mali official claims Austrian hostages are alive

and negotiations are proceeding.

(I sure hope these negotiators have better luck than the last negotiators. As you will recall, three of them were murdered during the course of negotiations.)

A high-level official in Mali, in whose remote desert north the two Austrians were originally reported held, rejected rumours circulating in neighbouring Algeria that the two might have been killed by their captors.

"I can tell you that it is not true," said the official, who is following the hostage case but asked not to be named.

"It's a pity to see that their detention is lasting so long, it's hard for them and their families. But I can assure you that the negotiations are advancing and advancing well," he said.

"We think that in the near future they will regain their freedom," the official added, without giving details.
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