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01/27/2005:

"African Students Await Cash Before Freeing Envoy"

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Guinea-Bissau students holding their ambassador hostage in Moscow said on Thursday the government had promised to start paying their overdue grants, but vowed to hold the envoy until the cash was in their hands.

Nearly 150 students have taken over the impoverished West African country's tiny embassy rooms in an apartment block in south Moscow.

They have been on hunger strike for three days and refuse to feed ambassador Rogerio Herbert until they get 13 months of outstanding stipends.

``We have no money, so we couldn't eat even if we wanted to,'' 26-year-old economics student Milena Silva told Reuters.
Full Article: nytimes.com/reuters