- WASHINGTON -- Italy's support
for the American-led war in Iraq was again placed under pressure last night
as it was revealed that an Italian hostage had been executed by his Iraqi
kidnappers.
-
- The Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini confirmed
that an Italian official had watched a video recording of the killing,
believed to be the first of a hostage.
-
- The Arab news channel al-Jazeera first reported the killing
of Fabrizio Quattrocchi, one of four Italian security guards who were abducted
on Monday. The channel had been passed a video of the killing and it was
presumably this recording that was viewed by the Italian ambassador to
Qatar, where the network is based.
-
- "He saw the film," Mr Frattini said during
a live TV talk show. "We are all close to the young men who are there,
and to the family of the young man who was killed." He added: "We
have to work hard to bring them out. We will do everything, we will do
everything. Unfortunately, we don't know exactly who these people are."
-
- The videotape was accompanied by a statement from a previously
unknown group calling itself the Green Battalion, which threatened to "kill
the three remaining Italian hostages one after the other, if their demands
are not met", al-Jazeera said. The group demanded the withdrawal of
US forces from Iraq, an apology from the Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi,
and the release of religious clerics held in Iraq.
-
- Mr Berlusconi said: "They have cut short a life.
They have not damaged our values and our commitment to peace."
-
- Earlier yesterday Mr Frattini told an Italian parliamentary
commission that the government would not negotiate directly with the kidnappers
and would not pay any ransom. He also said an Iranian delegation was heading
to Baghdad to help secure the release of the Italians. Mr Frattini advocated
"looking into every means of obtaining the release of the Italians
and all the hostages without giving into blackmail or employing direct
negotiations".
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- © 2004 Independent Digital (UK) Ltd http://news.independent.co.uk/europe/story.jsp?story=511600
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