5 kidnapped Europeans' whereabouts known: PM

Ethiopia's prime minister said yesterday five Europeans abducted in one of the country's most remote, inhospitable regions, were not specifically targeted and called for their immediate release.

Meles Zenawi said his officials have a "good idea" of the whereabouts of the five, all of whom worked for or were relatives of employees of the British Embassy in Ethiopia, and that their captors had made no demands.

"I hope and expect they will be released at the earliest opportunity," Meles said in his first public comments on the kidnapping since they were seized 12 days ago. "This is a group of people who have not done anything to hurt anybody. I think this may have been a mistake on the part of the individuals (captors) involved."