SAN'A, Yemen (AP) -- For the Yamaneyatain tribesmen of Yemen, the logic was quite simple.
The government had recently arrested one of their prominent sheiks. To secure his release, they didn't seek sharp lawyers. Instead, they snatched the first foreigner they could lay their hands on -- the Polish ambassador. And then the rigorous bargaining began.Krzysztof Suprowicz, the first ambassador to be kidnapped, was released unharmed Sunday after four days in captivity. In return, a mediator from another tribe said, his captors got five cars, five men and five of the curved daggers known as jambiyas that Yemeni men wear in their waistbands and guard as fiercely as their honor.
The tribe will keep those "guarantees" until their sheik is released, most likely in three to seven days, according to Sheik Ahmed Abbad Sherif, whose Bani Thubian tribe took part in the mediation.
Kidnapping foreigners has became a means of negotiation in Yemen. Despite denials from some government officials, the tribesmen do get their way in most cases, albeit indirectly and never instantly. For example, instead of directly paying the kidnappers, the government may give the mediators money to reward their efforts and to pass on to the kidnappers to reimburse "hospitality costs," Sherif said.
If the government frees the Yamaneyatain sheik, it would be honoring its commitments to the mediators and not yielding to the kidnappers' demands, according to Sherif. No one would lose face and the issue would be closed.
Tribes across lawless swaths of the land where the Queen of Sheba once ruled over an empire have kidnapped about 300 foreigners in the past 10 years.
For the tribesmen, the foreigners are not a target but a means to pressure the government into giving them money, improving services, such as building decent roads, hospitals or schools, or even granting them a promotion.
The kidnappers believe that Arab hospitality dictates that the hostages be treated as honored guests. In most cases, the captives are allowed to call their families and they are given machine guns to join the tribesmen in one of their most popular sports -- shooting.
They are presented with parting gifts of jambiyas, Arab robes or incense.
In addition, every effort is made to make their stay comfortable.
No taste for the traditional breakfast of bread, eggs and yogurt mixed with ghee (oil made from butter) and honey? Kidnappers have been known to pick up corn flakes and milk at the grocery store.
Wine with dinner? No problem, not even in this Islamic country where liquor is banned, Sherif said. Sherif said his tribe offered alcohol to Frenchmen his tribe kidnapped in 1991.
One of the kidnappers of American diplomat Haynes Mahoney said he was so concerned that Mahoney have a good time in captivity that he followed him into a supermarket and bought the same foods that Mahoney purchased; then he helped kidnap him. Mahoney was serving as U.S. Information Service chief at the embassy when he was grabbed in 1993.
"The hostages are dear guests, but guests who don't hold the key to their freedom," said Sherif, whose tribe has taken part in mediations involving four hostages.
Sherif noted, however, that not all hostages are equal.
"It depends on what country they're from," said Sherif, who is also an assistant to the interior minister. "The more aid their country gives to Yemen the more attention the hostages will get."
"France is good, the Dutch are very good and the Americans are very, very, very good," added Sherif. "After all, this is the era of strength and influence."
Former hostages confirm that they have been treated very well.
Until 1998, all captives were released unharmed and the practice did not have much effect on tourism, which brought in much needed hard cash to this impoverished nation.
However, in December 1998, four tourists kidnapped for the first time by a Muslim extremist group, the Aden-Abyan Islamic Army, and not a tribe, were killed in a botched rescue attempt by Yemeni security forces.
The government, angered by those abductions, passed a law in July that allows judges to condemn kidnappers to death. Since then, three convicted kidnappers have been executed.
The 1998 killings dealt a blow to tourism. Motaher Taqy, deputy minister of culture and tourism, said only 50,000 foreigners visited Yemen last year, down from 105,000 in 1998.
Prime Minister Abdul-Karim al-Iryani has accused unidentified foreigners who want to bring instability to Yemen of being behind the kidnappings. The Yamaneyatain sheik has been arrested because he allegedly has close ties with Saudi Arabia, with whom Yemen has a border dispute.