Galloway to work for release of British hostage
Anti-war MP George Galloway has appeared on Arab satellite network, al-Jazeera TV, to appeal for the immediate release of British hostage, Margaret Hassan.
Mr Galloway was expelled from the Labour Party in October 2003 because of his outspoken views on the Iraq war.
The independent MP for Glasgow Kelvin – dubbed by some in the press as the MP for Baghdad – is hopeful the broadcast will sway kidnappers of the 59-year-old director of charity CARE International.
The aid worker was taken hostage by gunmen in western Baghdad on October 19th.
Speaking in London at the first annual delegate conference of his newly-established party, the Respect Coalition, Mr Galloway said he had decided to work for Mrs Hassan’s release as she was “a prominent opponent of both the war and the preceding years of sanctions”.
“I am prepared to do anything I can to help save her life,” he said.
Mrs Hassan has dual British and Iraqi nationality and has lived in the Middle East state for 30 years.
Arabic TV station al-Jazeera on Tuesday broadcast a new tape of the hostage, in which she appealed to Tony Blair to withdraw troops from Iraq and release all female prisoners in Iraq.
Standing alone in a poorly-lit room, a distressed Mrs Hassan told viewers: “Please don’t bring the soldiers to Baghdad. Please, on top of that, please release the women prisoners from prisons.”
