PM on defensive over Iraq hostages
By politics.co.uk staff
The British government faces growing pressure for not having acted sooner over the five hostages kidnapped in Iraq.
Over the weekend the remains of two of them, Jason Creswell and Jason Swindlehurst, were delivered to the British Embassy in Baghdad.
The pair had been kidnapped two years ago in the Iraqi capital as they and two other bodyguards escorted IT consultant Peter Moore at the Iraqi finance ministry.
Around 40 gunmen wearing police uniform abducted them. Since then the British government has maintained its line that it does not negotiate with terrorists – and has left the Iraq government to deal with the problem.
Speaking this morning, Mr Brown said: “In the last few months I can assure you that we have left no stone unturned in our efforts to release the hostages, to work with the Iraqi authorities, to maintain our vigilance about what needs to be done and to look at all possible means by which we could free them.
“I just want to assure the public that every time I’ve been in touch with prime minister [Nouri al-] Maliki over the last two years this has been an issue which has been right at the top of our agenda.”
