Group sent to Sudan to handle kidnapping issue

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-10-30 10:01

BEIJING -- China sent a workgroup to Sudan Thursday to handle the aftermath of the nine Chinese workers' being kidnapped in Sudan.

The government workgroup, which left Beijing early Thursday morning, will negotiate with the Sudanese side on all-out efforts and measures of rescuing workers still missing.

It will also work with the Chinese Embassy in Khartoum to deal with the aftermath of the kidnapping incident. The nine workers from the CNPC were kidnapped from an oil field near the western Sudanese region of Darfur on Oct. 18. China confirmed Tuesday afternoon that four were killed, four were rescued and the other was still missing.

The workgroup was headed by the Chinese Foreign Ministry, which also involved officials with the Ministry of Commerce and the China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC).

According to the Chinese Foreign Ministry, the workgroup will also convey the condolences of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the State Council for the victims killed by kidnappers and expressed sympathy to the rescued workers.