A leading Australian Muslim cleric says Douglas Wood could be released by his Iraqi kidnappers within the next 24 hours.
Sheik Taj el-Din al Hilaly said he was told the news in a phone call from a man who said he represented the kidnappers of the Australian contractor.
Sheik al Hilalytold an SBS journalist that the kidnappers were willing to release Mr Wood unconditionally, but there was a problem with releasing two other Iraqi hostages.
“They said that they were willing to release Douglas Wood, however, they are not willing to release the other two Iraqis,” SBS Arabic radio journalist Majida Abboud-Saab told Southern Cross Broadcasting.
In an interview with Ms Abboud-Saab, Sheik al Hilaly denied reports the kidnappers were demanding money for Mr Wood’s release.
“They are not placing any conditions on his release,” said Ms Abboud-Saab.
“He [Sheik al Hilaly] is very convinced and he is very optimistic and he is very happy about the fact that they have agreed to release Douglas.
“But he is very upset about the fact that the other two Iraqis are not going to be released.”
It was not clear when the sheik spoke to the alleged representative of the kidnappers.
Sheik al Hilaly had sent messages through Iraqi media that he would not leave the country without Douglas Wood, she said.
The two Iraqi hostages both worked with Mr Wood, she said.
The Prime Minister, John Howard, expressed cautious optimism following the reports.
“We have to treat them with a bit of caution,” he told Southern Cross radio in Brisbane.
“He has reported that to our people in Baghdad. We would all hope that it’s right but we would also be aware in a situation like this there are always people who may represent things.I don’t mean the sheik [but] others who may be representing to him things that are not correct.”
The Parliamentary Secretary (Foreign Affairs and Trade), Bruce Billson, said the Government was trying to confirm the reports and contact Sheik al Hilaly.
“Our information is that we’ve seen those reports and we’re having our officials try and liaise with the sheik on the ground,” he told ABC radio.
“That news is certainly encouraging although it’s unconfirmed and we’re making efforts to establish the veracity of that information.”
A spokesman for the Wood family said the family had not had any word from the sheik about the possibility of Mr Wood’s release.
“We haven’t heard anything from him,” the spokesman said.
The spokesman added the family was trying to find out more from the Australian Government.
Mr Wood has been held by a rebel group, the Shura Council of the Mujahideen of Iraq, for two weeks, and a 72-hour deadline for Australia to pull its troops out of Iraq expired on Friday.
The last official word from the kidnappers was received a week ago on a DVD, on which Mr Wood appeared battered and bruised.
Sheik al Hilaly flew to Iraq last week in an attempt to secure Mr Wood’s release, and has called on the engineer’s captors to provide him with medical treatment for heart and blood pressure problems.
Mr Wood’s family have placed television and newspaper ads in Iraq pleading for his safe return.RELATED
Sheikh Raises Hopes For Hostage’s Release
http://www.theage.com.au/news/Iraq/Sheikh-raises-hopes-for-hostages
The Australian Muslim leader in Baghdad trying to secure the release of hostage Douglas Wood says reports that he may be released today are premature.However, it is expected two Iraqi men abducted with him would remain in captivity.Prime Minister John Howard has expressed cautious optimism at the news, while the Wood family says it is on an emotional roller-coaster.Mr Howard said everyone hoped the report was true. “We have to treat it with a bit of caution. He has reported that to our people in Baghdad,” he told Southern Cross radio.Mr Wood was kidnapped nearly three weeks ago by a Shiite group calling itself the Shura Council of the Majahideen, which has demanded the withdrawal of Australian troops from Iraq in exchange for his freedom.Vital medicinesSheikh Taj al-Din al-Hilali, the Mufti of Australia, said he was confident medicine had been passed to Mr Wood’s kidnappers.Mr Wood’s family had made several appeals to his hostage takers in Iraq telling them he needed medicine for a heart condition.Sheikh Hilali told his Sydney spokesman, Keysar Trad, that medicine has been passed to Mr Wood through an anonymous intermediary, but he could not give any more details about the exchange in case it was put in jeopardy.The sheikh reportedly received an anonymous phone call from a man claiming to represent the kidnappers.Possible delay“The mufti told SBS’s Arabic program he had learned there would be good news about Mr Wood ‘on the morrow,’ but in Arabic that can mean in the next 24 hours, in the next 48 hours, or a bit longer not tomorrow, as in English,” he told theage.com.au.”But he is exceptionally optimistic because influential people have told him that ‘you and your community will not be disappointed’ … influential people have said to him that his appeals and the appeals of the Muslim community in Australia are being looked on favourably.”Mr Trad says Sheikh Hilali still believes hostage-takers’ delayed responses to appeals are due to their leaders’ possible involvement in fighting US offensives against the insurgency.”The only delays he believes are because the leaders of the people holding him may be away fighting skirmishes against the US forces, so they are not making Mr Wood a priority,” he said.A spokesman for the Department of Foreign Affairs said Sheikh Hilali contacted the Government after speaking to the kidnappers’ representative.Sheikh to staySBS radio journalist Majida Abboud-Saab said she spoke to the sheikh early today and he told her the kidnappers were prepared to release Mr Wood, but not their two other Iraqi hostages.”They are not placing any conditions on his release,” she said.Ms Abboud-Saab also told the Nine Network that the sheikh would now extend his stay in Iraq indefinitely instead of returning to Australia as planned this week.She said the kidnappers had waited until now to contact the sheikh because they believed he was about to leave Iraq.”Because they were expecting that Taj al-Din al-Hilali’s last day was today, they made contact today,” she said.”And the mufti’s Iraqi adviser is returning to Sydney, whereas Taj al-Din al-Hilali has extended his stay indefinitely in Iraq and he says he won’t be leaving without Douglas Wood.”Family’s ‘roller-coaster’Mr Wood’s family in Australia is trying to get Government confirmation of the sheikh’s reports.”We’ve not had any independent corroboration of the communications of the captors, but we do know the sheikh is being quoted accurately in the reports in the Australian media,” a spokesman said.”We know this from the Department of Foreign Affairs.”The family is trying to remain measured in their response to reports, such as those from the sheikh, the spokesman said.”We knew this situation would be a roller-coaster of emotion, with highs and lows, and the family are trying to track the middle ground.”The family aren’t getting excited and they’re not getting despondent.”– with AAPWeblink=============================RELATED READINGCleric Confident of Wood’s ReleaseWood Release May Be ImminentPM Cautious Over Wood Release Hope