China urges Sudan to rescue kidnapped workers

BEIJING, Mar 17, 2004 (Xinhua) — The Chinese government is urging the Sudanese government to rescue kidnapped Chinese workers in Sudan, foreign ministry sources said here Wednesday.

Two Chinese workers with the North China Construction Company were abducted by anti-Sudanese government militants in western Sudan on Saturday while drilling water wells some 80 km from the western Sudan’s Buram city.

Leaders of the Chinese State Council, the cabinet, were concerned about the incident and gave instructions for rescuing the men, Foreign Ministry sources said.

The Foreign Ministry required leading Chinese diplomats in Sudan to meet Sudanese officials and express China’s concern.

Chinese Foreign Ministry officials also negotiated with the Sudanese ambassador to China, urging the Sudanese government to rescue the workers safely.

The Sudanese officials said their government was also concerned and has required relevant departments to rescue the workers, promising to report back to China.

According to the Sudanese information, the two kidnapped workers were still in fairly good condition.