Hostage's loved ones wait in agony

Harmeet Sooden

The family of Auckland University student Harmeet Singh Sooden - abducted in Iraq and threatened with execution - are putting up Christmas decorations and looking through old photographs to keep themselves occupied during the agonising wait for news.

Mr Sooden's mother Manjeet Kaur Sooden, father Dalip Singh Sooden, sister Preety Brewer and brother-in-law Mark Brewer were at the Brewers' Blockhouse Bay home yesterday when they heard that the kidnappers' original deadline of yesterday had been extended by 48 hours.

A phone call from a Canadian official yesterday morning - African-born Harmeet is a New Zealand resident but a Canadian citizen - revealed that the abductors of the literature student and three other Christian Peacemaker Teams workers - Londoner Norman Kember, 74, American Tom Fox, 54, and Canadian James Loney, 41 - had extended by 48 hours a deadline for the British and American Governments to meet their demands.

Mr Brewer believed that the news had been transmitted through Arab TV channel al-Jazeera. Although no explicit hour has been specified, Iraq is 10 hours behind New Zealand, pushing the deadline to mid-Saturday NZ time.

Family reaction to the official's call was mixed, said Mr Brewer.

"In one respect it is good news - obviously Harmeet is still alive and well, and the deadline's extended. And the other, we had hoped [yesterday] was to be the target for release."

The Canadian official, whom he would not name, did not indicate that there had been any change in the hostages' location or their condition.

Mr Brewer did not know why the kidnappers had granted the extension: "Perhaps this is all part of the strategy; perhaps it's a new development. We can only speculate."

A little-known group calling itself the Brigade of the Swords of Righteousness snatched the four at gunpoint from their car in west Baghdad two weeks ago.

It threatened to kill them unless prisoners in US and Iraqi detention centres are released.

British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw has said the demands are ones that "no Government could meet".

Al-Jazeera yesterday played a third video from the kidnappers, this one showing Mr Kember and Mr Fox, but not the two Canadians.

Mr Brewer said the wait was "difficult" and no one was sleeping well.

"We're just getting though, [feeling] conflicted, stressed, tired. Obviously we're quite weary.

"We keep ourselves busy with finding little tasks - putting up Christmas decorations, for example, and just talking and looking through photo albums.

"We're keeping one eye on [cable news channel] CNN and the other eye on each other," he said.

But the family were "constantly hopeful", said Mr Brewer.

"Our optimism hasn't changed since the first day, really. It's just tracking, hopefully, towards a peaceful resolution. We're pretty confident in our expectations."

The family had taken heart from influential Muslim figures calling for the hostages' release. The most recent was yesterday from Jordanian cleric Abu Qatada, who has been jailed in Britain for links to al Qaeda and is said to be the terrorist group's inspiration.

In a video passed to the al-Jazeera and al-Arabiya TV channels by his lawyers, Abu Qatada said the hostages should not be punished for their Governments' policies.

"I, your brother Abu Qatada ... beseech my brothers ... who are imprisoning the four Christian peace activists to release them in accordance with the fundamental principle of mercy of our faith," he said.

"Our Prophet said mercy should be shown unless there is a reason in Sharia [Islamic law] that prevents it."

Mr Brewer said such appeals were "building momentum every day. But it just goes to reinforce what we've been saying since the very first day - Harmeet, a lovely guy, wouldn't hurt a fly. He was there to help, so let him go."


The story so far

Mid-November: Harmeet Sooden (above, left) leaves for Iraq to work with Christian Peacemaker Teams, American pacifists.

November 26: Mr Sooden and three others are kidnapped in west Baghdad, accused of spying.

November 27: Video played on al-Jazeera shows the hostages bound and cross-legged on a floor. Execution is threatened unless demands are met by December 8.

December 4: Manjeet Kaur Sooden makes a video plea for her son's release, which is played repeatedly on al-Jazeera.

December 5: A video posted on the internet shows Mr Sooden eating and claiming good treatment.

Yesterday, December 8: The deadline is extended by 48 hours.


Canada works for freedom

The Canadians are working with Iraqi, British and American officials in Baghdad to try to secure the four hostages' release - but they are keeping their methods secret.

Marie-Christine Lilkoff of Foreign Affairs Canada told the Herald yesterday officials of the Governments were on the ground in Baghdad but would not say how many were involved, or give details of their methods.

Ms Lilkoff would not discuss whether negotiators had direct contact with the abductors, or whether information was coming through third parties. Nor would she discuss what procedures were in place for their release - or the worst-case scenario.

She repeated a message issued by Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin: "Canada remains willing to listen to and speak with persons who may have information that will assist in the safe release of the hostages."

The Government "was encouraged by the extension [of the execution deadline] but we remain concerned for all the hostages".