Kidnapped Italian Women: Deadline Expires
Charles Johnson
Sun Sep 12, 2004 at 1:32 pm PDT • Views: 280
Italy’s foreign minister still says he’s “hopeful,” but the outlook is not good for the two Italian women kidnapped by holy warriors in Iraq: Italy still hopeful for release of Iraq hostages as ultimatum expires.
ROME (AFP) - Italy’s foreign minister said he was still hopeful that two Italian women held hostage in Iraq would be released, as a purported ultimatum by the kidnappers was about to expire.
“We do not feel alone, and it is a tremendous force, hope remains,” Franco Frattini told news channel Sky TG 24.
He said contacts had been made with “several persons more or less influential and important to achieve the release of Simona Torretta and Simona Pari.”
A statement on Friday in the name of the Ansar al-Zawahiri militant group gave Rome 24 hours to promise to release Muslim women prisoners in Iraq in return for details about the two Italian aid workers, kidnapped along with two Iraqi colleagues.
Frank says: