Bulgarian hostages alive - FM

2004-07-11 17:33

Sofia - Two kidnapped Bulgarians in Iraq were believed to still be alive on Sunday, nearly two days after the expiration of an ultimatum issued by militants threatening to behead them, Foreign Minister Solomon Pasi said.

However, he said his information was not confirmed.

"Our two countrymen are alive," Pasi told journalists. He did not reveal the source of his information, which he said was received around noon (09:00 GMT).

In a videotape broadcast on Friday by the Qatar-based satellite channel al-Jazeera, Jordanian militant leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi threatened to execute the two Bulgarian civilians - who had been working as truck drivers in Iraq - if the US military did not release all Iraqi detainees within 24 hours.

The deadline expired at 23:00 Sofia time (20:00 GMT) on Friday.

Pasi used the news conference to appeal to the hostage takers, saying Islam calls for "mercy for the poor, the hungry and the sick". He said one of the hostages, Georgi Lazov, had diabetes, while the other, Ivaylo Kepov, had had a stroke.

Over the last two days, Bulgarian officials have been in contact with other governments in their search for international support for the release of the two hostages.

A group of Bulgarian diplomats arrived on Sunday in Baghdad in an effort to establish contacts on the ground that could facilitate the release of the hostages, the foreign minister said.

Bulgaria closed its diplomatic mission in Baghdad last year and moved its personnel to Amman, Jordan.

Bulgaria has a 480-member infantry battalion serving in central Iraq.

- AP