Vol. 502 No. 6
39 Mr. Spring asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the progress, if any, made in locating the whereabouts of the Irish Christian Brother who was kidnapped in Sierra Leone in February 1999; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8931/99]
On 22 and 23 March I received information from two sources that the Irish Christian Brother, Noel Bradshaw, was being held in the Makeni area, that he was safe but that he was being guarded and that his freedom to move about was restricted.
We have alerted and are in contact with the Sierra Leone, British, Italian and Holy See authorities as well as with the Economic Community of West Africa Monitoring Group (ECOMOG), the UN Secretary-Generals Special Representative and the UN Observer Mission in Sierra Leone. All of them have been asked for assistance in locating Brother Bradshaw and ensuring his release. It is very difficult to get reliable information. Despite a report that members of the Revolutionary United Front told an Italian television crew on 12 March that Brother Bradshaw and two priests abducted along with him would soon be set free, there is yet no sign of that.
We will continue our efforts to get more definite information and to secure the release of Brother Bradshaw.
