Tuesday, July 24, 2007
British Foreign Office appeals for information on hostages
Security
(The Times) - The Foreign Office admitted today that diplomats have no proof that five British civilians kidnapped in Iraq are still alive, as it launched a fresh appeal for information nearly two months after their abduction. The group, made up of four security guards and a consultant, were taken hostage on May 29 at the Iraqi Finance Ministry by dozens of armed insurgents dressed in the fatigues of police commandos.
One of those abducted was a consultant working for BearingPoint, an international firm providing technical and computer advice to the Iraqi Government, and the other four were security guards employed by GardaWorld, a Canadian-owned company which has offices in London and Hereford. The raid, which took place in broad daylight, was considered one of the most brazen abductions of Westerners since the fall of Saddam Hussein.
In a statement issued by the British embassy in Baghdad today, the Government appealed for information about the hostages' plight. The statement was issued in Arabic and aimed specifically at an Iraqi audience. "It’s now 55 days since the five British men were taken. We and their families are increasingly concerned for their welfare," Matthew Lodge, the British charge d’affaires in Baghdad told reporters.
"We have no evidence about their conditions, and we would like to know they are alive and well. We remain willing to listen and talk to those who may have any information about our people." A Foreign Office spokeswoman said that the statement was issued "to support ongoing work" to track down the hostages. She added: "We have not had proof of life." The decision to issue the statement is considered unusual in this case as the Foreign Office has deliberately kept a low profile since the hostages were taken.
Unlike the BBC's large-scale publicity campaign over the Alan Johnston kidnapping in Gaza, diplomats have decided that keeping the names, details and families of those kidnapped out of the media spotlight would be the best way to secure their release. On June 7, the British Ambassador to Iraq, Dominic Asquith, issued a statement appealing for their release and indicating that the Government was prepared to talk to the kidnappers.
Two weeks later, General David Petraeus, the top US commander in Iraq, told The Times that the five were being held by a secret cell of the Mahdi Army militia that was armed, trained and funded by Iran. Despite the Foreign Office's efforts, however, little evidence has emerged as to where the five are being held over the past two months.
The battle for information about the hostages was dealt a further blow when The Times disclosed on July 10 that Canon Andrew White, a vicar who had been working independently towards their release, had been forced to leave the country because of a "serious security threat". It had been reported that the kidnappers had threatened to kill the hostages unless Canon White, who worked at the last Anglican church in Iraq, stopped trying to find out where they were.
One of those abducted was a consultant working for BearingPoint, an international firm providing technical and computer advice to the Iraqi Government, and the other four were security guards employed by GardaWorld, a Canadian-owned company which has offices in London and Hereford. The raid, which took place in broad daylight, was considered one of the most brazen abductions of Westerners since the fall of Saddam Hussein.
In a statement issued by the British embassy in Baghdad today, the Government appealed for information about the hostages' plight. The statement was issued in Arabic and aimed specifically at an Iraqi audience. "It’s now 55 days since the five British men were taken. We and their families are increasingly concerned for their welfare," Matthew Lodge, the British charge d’affaires in Baghdad told reporters.
"We have no evidence about their conditions, and we would like to know they are alive and well. We remain willing to listen and talk to those who may have any information about our people." A Foreign Office spokeswoman said that the statement was issued "to support ongoing work" to track down the hostages. She added: "We have not had proof of life." The decision to issue the statement is considered unusual in this case as the Foreign Office has deliberately kept a low profile since the hostages were taken.
Unlike the BBC's large-scale publicity campaign over the Alan Johnston kidnapping in Gaza, diplomats have decided that keeping the names, details and families of those kidnapped out of the media spotlight would be the best way to secure their release. On June 7, the British Ambassador to Iraq, Dominic Asquith, issued a statement appealing for their release and indicating that the Government was prepared to talk to the kidnappers.
Two weeks later, General David Petraeus, the top US commander in Iraq, told The Times that the five were being held by a secret cell of the Mahdi Army militia that was armed, trained and funded by Iran. Despite the Foreign Office's efforts, however, little evidence has emerged as to where the five are being held over the past two months.
The battle for information about the hostages was dealt a further blow when The Times disclosed on July 10 that Canon Andrew White, a vicar who had been working independently towards their release, had been forced to leave the country because of a "serious security threat". It had been reported that the kidnappers had threatened to kill the hostages unless Canon White, who worked at the last Anglican church in Iraq, stopped trying to find out where they were.
Labels: Bearingpoint, British Foreign Office, British hostages, Canon Andrew White, Finance Ministry, GardaWorld, Mahdi Army, Matthew Lodge
