French Minister Urges Patience in Missing Estonians Case

France is committed to helping Estonia free its seven citizens kidnapped in Lebanon but patience is required to solve the sensitive case, France's European affairs minister said Thursday in the Estonian capital Tallinn.

"France as the country that knows Lebanon better than any other country in Europe has assisted and is assisting Estonia with all the means we have in the Lebanon kidnapping case," minister Laurent Wauquiez told reporters.

"It might take time until it ends, but we do our best to help to free Estonians," Wauquiez assured, speaking in English.

Like the Estonian leaders he met Thursday, Wauquiez wore a yellow ribbon which in Estonia has come to symbolize hope that the men kidnapped in Lebanon on March 23 will come home.

"Lebanon authorities have done a good job investigating the case and nine people have been arrested," Wauquiez told Agence France Presse after his talks with Estonian Prime Minister Andrus Ansip and Foreign Minister Urmas Paet.

He added that since Estonia has no embassy in Lebanon, France was providing all the necessary logistical help on the ground in Lebanon as well as in Syria.

"We work widely on (the) Estonians kidnapping case, not only in Lebanon but also with Syria where France has good contacts," Wauquiez said, stressing he could not provide more details for security reasons.

Seven Estonian tourists, all in their 30s, were kidnapped on March 23 shortly after entering Lebanon on a bicycle tour from neighboring Syria.

In the last video released by kidnappers in May the captives pleaded for help, criticizing their government for abandoning them and saying they were in "great danger".

The case remains shrouded in mystery with little information gleaned on their whereabouts or those behind the abduction.