Indonesia sees freed Iraq hostages home this week
Indonesia sees freed Iraq hostages home this week
Reuters
Jakarta
Indonesia expects two Indonesian women freed by an Iraqi militant
group to be home by the end of this week, a foreign ministry
official said on Tuesday.
"I don't think it will be next week. I think this week," Ferry
Adamhar, the ministry's director for protection of Indonesians
abroad, said when asked about the women's likely return.
He told Reuters they could leave the Middle East for Jakarta
on Thursday or Friday.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Marty Natalegawa said the
government was "absolutely delighted" by the women's release.
They were handed over on Monday to the United Arab Emirates
embassy in Baghdad and are in the hands of the UAE Red Crescent
awaiting evacuation to Abu Dhabi, from where they will return to
Indonesia, said Marty.
"The release crowns concerted efforts on the part of the
Indonesian government and many others," he said.
Indonesian President Megawati Soekarnoputri had made a public
appeal for the hostages' release on humanitarian grounds.
Indonesia had said the women should be freed without
preconditions and rejected a demand to free cleric Abu Bakar
Bashir, detained on suspected terror links, in exchange for their
freedom. Bashir also said he wanted no part of such a deal.
"We are fortunate this time in securing the hostages' release
unharmed, but our general call remains for Indonesians to avoid
being in Iraq," said Marty.
Despite such warnings a number of Indonesian migrant workers
are believed to have taken jobs in Iraq. Indonesia says the two
women, Novitasari binti Sugito, 19, and Istiqomah binti Misnad,
32, were working as maids.
Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation, has been a
staunch critic of the U.S.-led invasion and occupation of Iraq.
The Islamic Army in Iraq, a rebel group, said last week it had
kidnapped the women among a group of 10 hostages, which included
six Iraqis and two Lebanese men.
The fate of the other eight hostages was not clear. The
Islamic Army in Iraq is believed to be the same group holding two
French journalists hostage for more than a month.
Militants have kidnapped scores of foreigners in Iraq since
April, few of whom have been women. Many hostages have been
released, but about 30 have been killed.