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22/06/2009
Two Dead British Hostages Named
Gordon Brown has hit back at criticisms that the British government did not do enough to try and free two hostages who died in Iraq.
The bodies of two of the five captives, Jason Creswell and Jason Swindlehurst, were returned to British authorities on Sunday. They were among a group of five Britons who were taken hostage in Baghdad in 2007.
The father of one of those still missing hit out at the way the Foreign Office has dealt with the issue.
The fate of the three others - Peter Moore, an IT consultant from Lincoln, and two other guards known only as Alan, from Scotland, and Alec, from South Wales - is unknown.
Mr Moore's father Graeme, from Leicestershire, said waiting for news that he was not one of the dead men had been "torture".
Referring to the way the Foreign Office had dealt with the issue, he told GMTV: "They haven't done anything. They should have been straight in directing negotiations right from the beginning."
The Prime Minister, however, defended the handling of the kidnapping, telling reporters: "I can assure you that we have left no stone unturned in our efforts to release the hostages, to work with the Iraqi authorities to maintain our vigilance about what needs to be done, and to look at all possible means by which we could free them."
Their bosses at GardaWorld said: "This development is deeply shocking for the company and particularly for the families and friends of the victims.
"Our thoughts are with them at this sad and difficult time."
The PM today sent his condolences to the families of Mr Crestwell and Mr Swindlehurst, who he said had received "the worst possible news after two years of very anxious waiting".
Mr Brown also said: "There is no justification for hostage-taking and I call on those people who are holding the other Iraqi and British hostages to release them immediately."
(JM/BMcC)
The bodies of two of the five captives, Jason Creswell and Jason Swindlehurst, were returned to British authorities on Sunday. They were among a group of five Britons who were taken hostage in Baghdad in 2007.
The father of one of those still missing hit out at the way the Foreign Office has dealt with the issue.
The fate of the three others - Peter Moore, an IT consultant from Lincoln, and two other guards known only as Alan, from Scotland, and Alec, from South Wales - is unknown.
Mr Moore's father Graeme, from Leicestershire, said waiting for news that he was not one of the dead men had been "torture".
Referring to the way the Foreign Office had dealt with the issue, he told GMTV: "They haven't done anything. They should have been straight in directing negotiations right from the beginning."
The Prime Minister, however, defended the handling of the kidnapping, telling reporters: "I can assure you that we have left no stone unturned in our efforts to release the hostages, to work with the Iraqi authorities to maintain our vigilance about what needs to be done, and to look at all possible means by which we could free them."
Their bosses at GardaWorld said: "This development is deeply shocking for the company and particularly for the families and friends of the victims.
"Our thoughts are with them at this sad and difficult time."
The PM today sent his condolences to the families of Mr Crestwell and Mr Swindlehurst, who he said had received "the worst possible news after two years of very anxious waiting".
Mr Brown also said: "There is no justification for hostage-taking and I call on those people who are holding the other Iraqi and British hostages to release them immediately."
(JM/BMcC)
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