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Romanian Journalists held hostages by the Islamic

Manuela Paraipan - 4/24/2005

The TV station Al Jazeera has broadcasted yesterday, in the afternoon new images with the Romanian journalists kidnapped in Iraq. In these new images has also apperead Mohammad Munaf, an Iraqi citizen which also holds the American citizen. Mohammad Munaf acted as a go-between the journalists and some members of the Iraqi political class.

The group which now holds Marie Jeanne Ion, Sorin Miscoci, Ovidiu Ohanesian and the American citizen, Mohammad Munaf asked the withdrawal of the 800 Romanain troops in the next four days, or they will kill the hostages. It is the first time since the abduction of the journalists, when a political demand has been made.

This second set of images is very disturbing. The group was kidnapped on March 28 while on a short reporting trip to Baghdad, the three Romanians have been shown in video and photographs held at gunpoint by unknown kidnappers but little has been made public about their fate since that moment. In these new images, the journalists are handcuffed and two men are pointing guns towards them. Marie Jeanne Ion asked the Romanian people to protest in order to pressure the Romanian government to withdraw the troops in the term established by the abductors. Mohammad Munaf called on President Bush to do whatever he can to ensure his release.



The video showed the hostage-takers' name as the previously unheard-of "Squadrons of Mu'adh bin Jebel," in reference to a figure from early Islamic history.

Dan Voiculescu, the President of the Humanist Romanian Party (PUR) was the first political leader to ask President Basescu and the Romanian Government to comply with the demand and save the lives of the Romanian citizens.

Corneliu Ciontu, the new President of the Popular Greater Romania Party (PPRM) has also asked the withdrawal of the Romanian troops. The Popular Greater Romania Party was the only parliamentary party who has abstained when the former government leaded by then Prime Minister Nastase agreed to send Romanian troops in Iraq, at the direct request of President Bush. Corneliu Ciontu declared: " We should not be the rangers of the Muslim world. Our presence should have ended when the Iraqi people elected their own government, President and Parliament."

Dan Tudor Popescu, Chief Editor at the "Thought" Romanian newspaper strongly criticised the presence of the Romanian troops in Iraq, saying that Romania is a NATO member and is closer to be a part of the European Union by building its success on a "pile of corpses". He was refering to the Romanian political class position in the war from Yugoslavia, Afghanistan and more recently in Iraq.

The Romanian President, Traian Basescu has shorten his visit to Moldavia, where he participated at the GUUAM meeting in Chisinau.

The political analysts believe that the public pressure on the government is likely to increase in the coming days. This is the first time when Romania is confronted with such a dramatic situation of having its citizens held as hostages by an unknown group of Iragi insurgents.

Until now, there is no official feedback from the Presidential Cotroceni Palace.