Iraq hostage 'given more time'
BBC
| July 12 2004
Kidnappers holding a Philippine truck driver
in Iraq have reportedly given Manila more time to meet their demands.
The Philippines government now has until Tuesday
to agree to pull its troops out of Iraq, according to Labour Secretary Patricia
Santo Tomas.
Militants holding Angelo de la Cruz since Wednesday say
they will behead him unless their demands are met.
His family received a false boost on Saturday when reports
were published that he was about to be freed.
The militants, who appeared on al-Jazeera TV under a banner saying Islamic
Army - the Khaled bin al-Waleed corps, swiftly denied this.
Ms Tomas said in a television interview that there were
indications the group had now extended the deadline - it had been due to
expire at 1900 GMT on Sunday.
"I think there are now new signals that the extension
of the deadline has been given another 48-hour life," she said.
That time-frame was repeated by unnamed diplomats.
But the Philippines government said on Sunday it had no
plans to withdraw its 51 troops earlier than 20 August, when their one-year
mandate expires.
Mr de la Cruz's hostage takers have called on Manila to
withdraw the troops by 20 July.
His family pleaded with Philippine President Gloria Arroyo
to give in to the demands.
"Mrs Arroyo should take a firm stand," Mr de
la Cruz's niece Wilma said at a news conference on Sunday at the family
home in Pampanga province, north of Manila.
"She should save my uncle's life and not consider
what benefits she might get from supporting the US war in Iraq," she
said.
Prayer vigils for the truck driver have been held throughout
the Philippine archipelago.
Meanwhile, two Bulgarian men kidnapped in Iraq are reportedly
still alive despite the expiry of a deadline.
Bulgarian Foreign Minister Solomon Pasi said on Sunday
his government had unconfirmed information indicating that both men were
still alive two days after a deadline for the kidnappers' demands had elapsed.
Bulgaria has committed a 480-strong team of soldiers to
the US-led coalition of foreign forces in Iraq.
Separately, the kidnappers of an Egyptian truck driver
in Iraq are said to be haggling over his ransom, according to the Saudi
Arabian truck firm's manager.
It is not known exactly how many foreign workers and soldiers
are being held as hostages in Iraq.
Governments and employers have sometimes been wary
of releasing details to the media for fear of jeopardising negotiations
with hostage-takers.
