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Brit hostage freed after US hands over Iraqi insurgent
David Miliband, the Foreign Secretary, said that officials had worked tirelessly to secure his release but strongly denied that the British Government had given ground to his captors. He said: "There were no concessions in this case. There was no -- quote, unquote -- deal." Foreign and Commonwealth Office sources confirmed, however, that the transfer from US custody a few days ago of Qais al-Khazali, a cleric and commander of AAH, helped to pave the way for Mr Moore's release. They also admitted that British diplomats had been pressing the US to hand over al-Khazali to the Iraqi administration.The insurgent leader, who is suspected of helping to plan an attack that killed five US servicemen in Karbala in 2007, is set for release as part of reconciliation talks between the Iraqi Government and extremist groups. Mr Moore, 36, was abducted with four British security guards at the Finance Ministry in Baghdad on May 29, 2007, by members of AAH posing as policemen. Three of the guards are known to have been killed. The family of the fourth, Alan McMenemy, were told in July that it was "very likely" that he had been killed as well.
In February last year a video released by AAH showed a haggard-looking Mr Moore asking Gordon Brown to arrange the release by the US of prisoners affiliated to the group. He said: "All I want is to leave this place. I tell Gordon Brown the matter is simple: release their prisoners so we can go." When Laith al-Khazali, a brother of Qais al-Khazali, was released in June, the remains of two of the dead hostages, Jason Creswell, 39, and Jason Swindlehurst, 38, were surrendered by the group. Inquests heard that each died from a gunshot wound to the head. The body of Alec MacLachlan, 30, was handed over in September. Under the status of forces agreement, which came into force in January, the US must transfer all its detainees to the Iraqi authorities by the end of 2011. Commanders aim to complete the handover by early next year. It is believed that the transfer of al-Khazali was delayed because of his suspected involvement in the death of US troops. Sami al-Askari, an Iraqi MP involved in the negotiations for the hostages, said that al-Khazali and other members of AAH were transferred to Iraqi custody a few days ago. A spokesman for the Iraqi administration said that Mr Moore's release was secured by Iraqi mediators. At a press conference in London, Mr Miliband appealed to AAH to release Mr McMenemy's body. "For Peter's family the pain and the anguish is over. For the other families it endures," he said. He alluded to the negotiations surrounding the release, saying that it was made possible by Iraq's process of reconciliation with groups prepared to renounce violence. Mr Miliband said that he had had a "very moving" conversation with the freed hostage, who was in a "remarkable frame of mind". Mr Brown also spoke to Mr Moore by telephone. Foreign Office officials rejected accusations that Britain had done a deal "by proxy". A senior figure said: "We would support the efforts of the Maliki Government to bring about national reconciliation regardless of the hostage situation." There were unconfirmed reports that Iran's Revolutionary Guard was involved in the kidnapping operation and that the hostages were smuggled into Iran the day after they were taken. According to The Guardian, they were held in two prisons run by al-Quds, which specialises in foreign operations. The Foreign Office said: "We have no evidence that the British hostages were held in Iran." Posted by: Steve White 2009-12-31 |
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