Maoist rebels holding two Italian tourists hostage in India moved their deadline for the local government to meet 13 demands to late Tuesday, local sources said Monday. After the previous deadline expired late Sunday, local citizens and politicians contested the kidnappers with sit-ins and marches in the state of Orissa, where the rebels have been involved in a bloody, decades-long guerilla war against the Indian authorities. Paulo Bosusco, 54, and Claudio Colangelo, 61, were seized while trekking in Kandhamal district in the Kandhamal district.
The rebel group announced a ceasefire Monday as it negotiated with Indian officials. Their demands included the release from prison of three Maoist leaders and the end of an offensive against the rebels in the state, which the local authorities are said to have suspended.
Italian Foreign Minister Giulio Terzi on Monday underlined to Indian counterpart S.M. Krishna the "absolute need" to safeguard the lives of the kidnapped. Krishna promised Terzi India would do "everything possible at all levels" to try to prompt a "positive solution" in the case.
photo: Bosusco with an Indian child
Sono bellissimo...
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