Britain concerned about Muslim Britons jailed in Yemen

SANAA, Yemen (Reuters) -- Britain's Foreign Office Minister Keith Vaz said on Tuesday his government was concerned about the fate of seven Muslim Britons who have been in jail in Yemen since last year on terrorism charges.

"It was important that they (Yemenis) realize that the British government is always going to be concerned about British citizens abroad," Vaz told reporters in the Yemeni capital at the end of a two-day visit.

Vaz said he had discussed the issue at a meeting on Monday with Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who visited London last month in a bid to mend relations strained since four Western hostages were killed in Yemen in 1998.

"When a plea of clemency was sent in by the lawyers acting on behalf of the prisoners, we hoped that the (Yemeni) president would give it his full consideration," he added.

A Yemeni court last year sentenced the seven -- all of Pakistani or Arab origin and aged between 17 and 33 -- to prison terms ranging between three and seven years.

They were among 10 Muslim militants who were arrested following the 1998 kidnapping of 16 Western tourists in Yemen.

Four of the tourists, including three Britons, were killed during a rescue attempt by Yemeni troops.

Britain had questioned Yemen's account that the hostages had been killed by their captors, while Sanaa said the attack was coordinated by an Islamic militant based in London.

Vaz said his visit heralded a new era in Britain's ties with the impoverished Arab state.

He said London would encourage British investors and tourists to visit Yemen, adding that the Yemeni government should provide the necessary guarantees and facilities.

Scores of tourists and foreigners working in Yemen have been abducted in recent years, often by disgruntled tribesmen demanding better state services or the release of jailed relatives.

Most of the hostages were released unharmed, but in June a Norwegian diplomat was shot dead in a cross fire between Yemeni security forces and gunmen who kidnapped him and his son.

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