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| Iraq-Jordan |
| Iraqi mediator appeals to abductors not to execute hostage |
| 2004-07-30 |
| An Iraqi tribal chief acting as go-between for the captors of seven foreign truck drivers issued an 11th-hour appeal to them to stay their threat to kill an Indian hostage. "In my name and in the name of humanity and religious leaders, I appeal to the Secret Army - Black Banners Battalion, to rethink the matter and not to execute the hostages, because, God willing, there is a chance to reach a positive outcome that would secure the release of all of them," Sheikh Hisham al-Dulaimi told AFP. In a statement received by AFP on Thursday, the kidnappers threatened to kill an Indian hostage at 7:00 pm Friday. The hostage-takers had once before stayed a threat to start killing the hostages -- three Indians, three Kenyans and an Egyptian -- from 1600 GMT Monday. Dulaimi said that "Egyptian and Indian diplomats in Baghdad are responsive and cooperative and that talks are going smoothly to release the hostages," but was critical of the Kuwaiti company for which the drivers work and Kenyan officials for not contacting him yet. A few hours later Dulaimi said he had just received a call from a director of the Kuwait and Gulf Link Transport company telling him that one of their representatives was already in Baghdad and that he would be contacting him soon. "They just called me half-an-hour ago and told me that one of their representatives, a fellow by the name of Mahdi Saleh, was in Baghdad and that he would be getting in touch with me today," he said. The sheikh said the company did not say whether it was ready to meet the demand of hostage-takers by ceasing its operations in Iraq. The company operates large-scale transport services to Iraq and has a number of contracts with US-led coalition forces here, according to company sources. A spokeswoman told AFP in Kuwait Friday that the firm had mandated a representative to speak on its behalf in Baghdad, although she gave a different name than that cited by Dulaimi. "The firm has named Mahmud al-Zubaidi to speak on its behalf in Baghdad," said Rana Abu Zaina. Company sources said the firm was focusing on obtaining an extension of Friday's deadline in order to continue contacts with "the countries concerned." The sources said consultations were continuing with the Egyptian and Indian ambassadors in Kuwait and two Kenyan diplomats dispatched to the emirate from their country's embassy in Riyadh. |
| Posted by:Fred |