Estonian minister visits Lebanon over bikers

Estonia's Foreign Minister Urmas Paet is to travel to Lebanon to meet with its new government, as he tries to win the release of seven Estonians kidnapped there in March, his office said Monday. In a statement, the foreign ministry said that Paet would visit Lebanon on Tuesday for talks with top officials including Prime Minister Najib Mikati, who took the helm a week ago. Lebanon's previous government collapsed on January 12, sparking months of political haggling over forming a new administration. Seven Estonian men, all in their 30s, were kidnapped on March 23 after entering Lebanon on a bicycle tour from neighbouring Syria. The case remains shrouded in mystery. Several people have been arrested in Lebanon in connection with the case but there is no clear evidence as to who ordered the kidnapping or where the men are. They appealed for help in two videos posted on the Internet on April and May. The first was uploaded in the Syrian capital Damascus, investigators said, leading to speculation that the men had been moved across the border. Last week, Estonia's Prime Minister Andrus Ansip told reporters that his country remained completely in the dark, with no political or financial demands having been made so far. Estonia's efforts to free the men have been hampered by the fact that the Baltic nation of 1.3 million has a minuscule diplomatic presence in the Middle East. It has had to turn to fellow European Union and NATO allies for logistical support, notably France.