FED: Secret information raises hopes for CARE workers

AAP General News (Australia)
04-05-1999
FED: Secret information raises hopes for CARE workers

By Stephen Spencer, Diplomatic Correspondent

CANBERRA, April 5 AAP - Hopes are high for the release of two Australian aid workers
missing in Yugoslavia after CARE Australia said today it had confidential information they
were being detained close to the border with Croatia.

The optimistic news has heartened the families of Steve Pratt and Peter Wallace, but CARE's
chief executive Charles Tapp warned their release was still some way off.

"I've been confident throughout this that we would be able to locate them and have them
transferred across the border," he told the Ten Network from Croatia.

"However, there should be no question of an imminent release."

The missing aid workers have not been seen since Wednesday when they separated from a
diplomatic convoy heading towards the Hungarian border and instead tried to leave via Croatia.

Mr Tapp and Australia's Ambassador to Yugoslavia Christopher Lamb yesterday rushed to
Croatia and spoke with officials on both sides of the border.

"I obviously can't go into any details. We're trying to open up lines of communication to
firstly identify where they are and secondly to facilitate their rapid transport across the
border," he said.

"However, it's very tense in Yugoslavia at the moment. The situation across the border is
very dangerous and I believe this is going to take a while."

CARE's head of overseas operations Robert Yallop refused to divulge the source of CARE's
information, but said he was now confident both Steve Pratt and Peter Wallace were safe.

"We have reason to believe that Steve and Peter are in the area not far from the border,"
Mr Yallop told reporters.

"I'm not in a position to go into details because we're dealing with a very sensitive
situation."

Mr Wallace's father Ross said CARE's information was extremely encouraging.

"We are very hopeful. We know neither Peter nor Steve has done anything wrong," he told
AAP.

"They are working in humanitarian interests. They are not political in any way and they are
Australians helping somebody else.

"There's no reason for them to be held, and for that reason there's every reason they
should be released."

CARE said it had no direct contact with the two men, and nor had it received any
confirmation from Serbian officials that they had detained the men.

"In this instance, we suspect what's happened is that local officials have overstepped
their authority," CARE emergency coordinator Brian Doolan told reporters.

"But there's certainly no firm news about their location, (nor) about how safe they are."

Mr Wallace said former prime minister and CARE Australia chairman Malcolm Fraser had phoned
the family today with words of support.

Mr Fraser is reported to have offered to travel to Yugoslavia to try to secure the men's
release but CARE said it hoped that would not be necessary.

Despite the uncertainty about the fate of Mr Pratt and Mr Wallace, CARE today despatched
two senior aid workers to Macedonia to help cope with the flood of refugees fleeing across the
border from Kosovo.

AAP ss/mfh/cjh

KEYWORD: KOSOVO CARE NIGHTLEAD

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