officials began counting ballots in Baghdad following historic parliamentary elections.
Militants calling themselves ‘Swords of the Truth’ had threatened to execute Canadians James Loney, 41, and Harmeet Singh Sooden, 32, US national Tom Fox, 54, and Briton Norman Kember, 74, if their demands for the release of all Iraqi prisoners were not met.
The captives are members of Christian Peacemakers Team (CPT), an international organization working for reducing conflict in crisis areas around the world. But since a deadline passed Saturday, December 10, no new information was received from the kidnappers, CPT suggested.
"Dear Tom, Harmeet, Norman and Jim, we hope you are in good health," CPT said in an open letter on its website, apparently aimed at both the kidnappers and the hostages. "We have not seen you for some time. Our thoughts and prayers are always with you," the group added.
CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS
"We’ve hung Christmas decorations and are looking for a real Christmas tree. It is our greatest wish that you will be able to share this Christmas season with us and your families," CPT said. CPT added that "it’s impossible to tell you how many people are caring for you right now, in Iraq and around the world. Please know that many are with you in spirit. We wish you were knocking at our door right now."
A British Muslim envoy, Anas Altikriti, who travelled to Iraq to meet Sunni Muslim leaders and appeal for the hostages’ release, told reporters the lack of communication since the deadline had made him "slightly more" hopeful. "The likelihood is that, had there been action taken against the hostages, we would have heard about it by now," he said from Jordan in published remarks.
Altikriti said the hostage-takers could be "looking for a way out without losing face" or to "use the Iraqi elections in one way or another."
INTERNATIONAL CONCERN
The hostage drama underscored international concern over Iraq’s security situation, despite Thursday’s elections which the United States hopes will help to develop a fledging democracy and reduce violence.
While admitting the difficulties, US President George W. Bush told reporters in Washington he still believes that democracy and peace are achievable in Iraq.
"This [election] is a major step forward in achieving our objective of having a democratic Iraq able to sustain itself and defend itself," he said. It will be "a country that will be an ally in the war on terror, and a country which will send such a powerful example to others in the region whether they live in Iran or Syria, for example," Bush added.
TRAFFIC BANNED
The government reportedly banned all traffic from Iraq’s roads to better ease the security burden on over 160,000 American soldiers and 120,000 Iraqi police and army patrolling the country.
At stake in the elections are 275 seats in the country’s National Assembly. For the first time this year, Sunni Muslim voters participated in large numbers, with some insurgent groups vowing to protect them as they went to the polls the Voice Of America (VOA) network reported from Baghdad.
Sunnis largely boycotted Iraq’s first election on January 30 of this year which left them almost powerless in the present government and at a disadvantage for adding their voice to the country’s constitution, which was written and approved during the past year.
VOTING EXTENDED
Heavy turnout forced election officials to extend voting time by one hour. Observers said it could take several weeks for the final election results to be known, but Iraq’s law mandates that the new assembly be in place by December 31.
Human rights groups hope that Christians and other religious minorities will have a say in any new government amid fears of discrimination in the predominantly Muslim country. (With reports from Iraq and BosNewsLife’s Stefan J. Bos).
