Ambiguity Over Kidnapping of 7 Estonians Amid Fears of Resumption of Civil War Abductions

The kidnapping of seven Estonians brought back fears about the resumption of abductions that were common during the 1975-90 Lebanese civil war amid reports that the men could have been snatched to be used as a bargaining chip for a Palestinian recently arrested in Ukraine.

The Estonian tourists cycling in the eastern Bekaa Valley were kidnapped on Wednesday by armed men.

They had crossed legally into Lebanon from Syria and were intercepted at about 5:30 pm by two white vans and a dark Mercedes with no license plates in the industrial part of the city of Zahle.

"They were forced at gunpoint into the vans which headed toward the eastern Bekaa village of Kfarzabad near where there is a post for the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command (PFLP-GC)," a security official told Agence France Presse.

Although the PFLP-GC denied its involvement in the incident, high-ranking security sources told al-Liwaa daily in remarks published Thursday that a Palestinian group could have kidnapped the Estonians to swap them with a PFLP-GC member who was arrested last month in Kiev.

The sources did not rule out the possibility of abducting the European men to create a tumult in Lebanon which has recently witnessed a stable security situation despite a deadlock on the formation of the new cabinet.

Official sources expressed fear that the incident could also be linked to events in Libya, saying a Palestinian organization which still receives support from the Gadhafi regime might be behind the kidnapping.

They said the abduction could be the first repercussion of Libyan leader Moammer Gadhafi's threat to harm European interests in the world in response to the coalition offensive.

Though there was still no official confirmation whether the kidnappings were politically motivated, like the rash of abductions during the bitter civil war, An Nahar daily warned that the incident could affect Lebanon's diplomatic and economic ties with the West.

At least 88 foreigners were taken hostage between 1984 and 1990, including 17 Americans, by the various factions during the 1975-90 conflict.

Estonia's foreign ministry said Thursday it was working to win the release of the seven.

"We have been in touch with the relatives of all seven persons kidnapped in Lebanon," the ministry said in a statement but did not revealing their identities.

"The crisis commission of the government gathered late Wednesday. Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Paet has been in touch with Lebanese authorities, who have promised to do all they can to any help resolve the situation," it said.

For his part, the Estonian foreign minister told reporters: "There has been no message from those who kidnapped the Estonians in Lebanon."

"It is a complicated situation for us because public curiosity is huge, but we can't discuss everything in public," he said.

"Estonia will send a diplomat today from Brussels to Lebanon. We don't have an embassy in Lebanon," Paet added.

He said that his country had "no idea" about the motives of those who kidnapped the Estonian nationals.

The minister declined to reveal details of the victims, beyond the fact that they were men and all Estonian citizens.

The family and a friend of three of the seven spoke out, however.

One was identified by his father as Martin Metspalu.

"I haven't heard anything from my son since noon on Wednesday," Andres Metspalu was quoted as saying by the website of Estonia's public broadcaster.

Another was named as Andre Pukk.

"I was in contact a week and a half ago, just before they started their trip," a friend identified only as Martin told Estonian radio. "Andre's phone was switched off yesterday (Wednesday) afternoon."

A third was identified as Jaan Jagomagi by his employer, Estonian geo-positioning software company Regio.

An intense search was underway Thursday in remote areas of Lebanon's eastern Bekaa Valley, the army said.

Army and police set up checkpoints and raided several places overnight in the mountainous area of Kfarzabad where the gunmen were seen headed after abducting the group, an army spokesman said.

"We have set up an operations center in the region and we are searching any place that looks suspicious," the spokesman told Agence France Presse, speaking on condition of anonymity.

"We hope to find them today," he added.