Hostage's family wait for Iraq poll

The family of Auckland student Harmeet Singh Sooden, who is being held hostage in Iraq, is not expecting any news from his captors until after the Iraqi elections.

At the same time, a British Muslim envoy who went to Iraq to try to help free Mr Sooden and three other kidnapped Christian peace activists said he was still hopeful they would be released.

Nothing has been heard from the men's abductors since a Saturday deadline passed for their demands to be met. The previously unknown Swords of Righteousness Brigade had threatened to kill the men if the United States and Britain did not release all detainees in Iraq.

Mr Sooden, 32, a Canadian, was abducted with Briton Norman Kember, 74, Canadian James Loney, 41, and American Tom Fox, 54, in Baghdad on November 26. They had travelled to Iraq with Christian Peacemaker Teams, a Canadian-based international peace group.

British Muslim Anas Altikriti, who travelled to Iraq to meet Sunni Muslim leaders and appeal for the hostages' release, said 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."

The hostage-takers could be "looking for a way out without losing face".

"The other explanation is that they may be hoping for the next 24 to 48 hours to use the Iraqi elections in one way or another," he said.

Mr Sooden's brother-in-law Mark Brewer said yesterday the family had not been advised of any developments.

"I'm not expecting any news today. The general feeling ... is that little will happen while the Iraqi elections are on."

- NZPA