Romanian Hostages in Iraq Are Freed 55 Days After Being Kidnapped

The three Romanian journalists and their Iraqi-American guide had been freed after 55 days of captivity in Iraq, Romanian president Traian Basescu announced today.

In a statement made for the 19:00 news, Basescu said the Romanians are in the custody of Romanian authorities in Iraq, and will return home on Monday.

He asked the Romanian media to exercise restraint because the investigation was not over, and the lives of the investigators still working in Iraq could be endangered.

Basescu promised to give all the details - that can be made public - in two weeks time. He thanked the three Romanian intelligence services for their work and gave them all the credit for freeing the hostages. Basescu also praised the efforts of the arab community in Romania, the help of foreign intelligence services and the restraint exercised by the families of the hostage journalists in their contacts with the media, all of which worked towards arriving at a happy ending. Commentators in Bucharest say Basescu scored his biggest political success since taking office six months ago, as he personally chaired the crisis-cell working for the release of the Romanian citizens held hostage in Iraq.