No word on hostage, Clark says

The Government has heard nothing about Auckland student Harmeet Singh Sooden, held hostage in Iraq by a group that is threatening to kill him and three other Christian peace mission workers, Prime Minister Helen Clark said today.

The kidnappers are demanding the release of all Iraqi prisoners and their weekend deadline expired with no word about the fate of the hostages.

"We're as much in the dark as the family is right now," Helen Clark said on TV One's Breakfast programme.

"All I can say is the best news is that there has been no bad news."

She said the situation was different to others because very little had been heard from the abductors.

"There has also been a swell of support for the release of these four men... from within the Islamic world," she said.

"A lot of voices are going to the hostage takers saying 'these men should be let go'."

Mr Sooden, 32, a Canadian citizen with New Zealand residency, fellow Canadian James Loney, 41, Norman Kember, 74, of Britain and American Tom Fox, 54, were taken two weeks ago by an Iraqi terrorist cell calling itself the Swords of Righteousness Brigade.

The family of Mr Sooden said waiting to hear word on his fate was like " water torture".

Mr Sooden's brother-in-law, Mark Brewer, said this morning the family hadn't received any additional information.

"[Waiting] is a very long and painful process," Mr Brewer said.

The kidnappers demanded the release of all Iraqi prisoners by last Thursday. They then extended the deadline to Saturday Iraq time, but no word has been heard.

Mr Brewer said as soon as Mr Sooden's release was announced, the family would go to Jordan.

"It will probably be myself and [Mr Sooden's] father going."

Mr Brewer said Australia was issuing visa waivers in transit for Mr Sooden's father, who has an Indian passport.

"It sounds like a small thing but it's actually quite difficult to arrange transit visas for foreign passports in Australia, so they are issuing a waiver," Mr Brewer said.

- NZPA