The Yemeni government has ruled out the use of force to secure the release of five Italians held hostage in the country, the Italian foreign ministry said here on Wednesday.

Italian Foreign Minister and Deputy Premier Gianfranco Fini received the assurances from his Yemeni counterpart, Abubakr al- Qirbi, during a telephone conversation, the Italian ministry said in a statement.

The safety of the hostages is the Yemeni government's highest priority, the statement stressed.

The three women and two men were abducted on New Year's Day in the northern Marib province as they visited archaeological sights in Serwah, some 120 miles east of the capital Sanaa.

The kidnappers have threatened to kill their Italian hostages if they come under attack.

Meanwhile, relatives of the five Italians being held in Yemen appealed to the country's tribal leaders to "understand our anguish" and to do what was in their power to have the captives released.

Several hundred Yemeni people took to the streets in Sanaa on Wednesday to protest against the kidnapping of the Italians and to call for their release.

Source: Xinhua