Friends of a motorcycle loving computer consultant who was kidnapped with his bodyguards as he worked in Iraq's finance ministry 18 months ago are launching a campaign to increase pressure for the men's release.They say Peter Moore, 32, who took a lucrative job in Baghdad to pay off his student loan after years of Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO) on an allowance of £140 a month, is strong-willed and will not be defeated by his ordeal.However, they fear he and the other hostages, two Jason's, Alan, a father of two from Scotland, and Alec, have been forgotten because of a virtual news blackout imposed by the government. Their full names have been withheld at the request of the Foreign Office's advice to the families.Moore's friends have set up a website, www.4pete.org - which explains why they are defying the official line that publicity could jeopardize efforts to help the hostages."It is to be hoped that if more can be known about Pete and the ideals he represented, then pressure can be brought to bear upon those in a position to negotiate for his and his fellow captives' release," the site says.It claims that the cases of Terry Waite, the Church of England envoy freed in Beirut in 1991 after four years in captivity, and Alan Johnston, the BBC journalist who was held in Gaza for four months last year, suggest that sustained campaigns can produce results.(via timesonline.co.uk)
- sstadum