Web site says Austrians held near Mali town as talks begin

By Lamine Chikhi

ALGIERS (Reuters) - Al Qaeda is in talks with an Austrian envoy about the possible release of two Austrian hostages held in northern Mali, an Algerian Web site that specialises in security matters reported on Saturday.

The Web site of the daily Ennahar said the two were being held by a group led by Algerian militant Abdelhamid abu Zeid at an al Qaeda base about 150 km (95 miles) from Kidal town.

A senior Austrian envoy had arrived in Mali's capital, Bamako, and had started negotiations by telephone with the kidnappers, who are demanding a ransom as well as the liberation of 10 militants held in Algeria and Tunisia, the Web site said.

Al Qaeda had demanded the release of the militants within three days from midnight on Thursday.

In Vienna, Foreign Ministry officials could not immediately be reached for comment on the report of talks. Austrian officials have said they would not negotiate with terrorists.

The captives, Andrea Kloiber, 43, and Wolfgang Ebner, 51, went missing in Tunisia last month and Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb said it seized them on February 22.

"Negotiations are going on but some demands are within the Algerian authorities' jurisdiction and Austria cannot get involved in it or negotiate about it," Ennahar quoted one of its sources as saying, referring to the Islamists' demand for the release of the militants.

Mali straddles the Sahara and the arid Sahel belt to the south, a region roamed by smugglers, rebel groups and nomads.