In hostage see-saw, the negotiator exits, enters

While he assured that the hostages were safe, Dulaimi said the last letter from the kidnappers had asked him to stop negotiations on Sunday evening if an agreement could not been reached. So he is waiting for a fresh letter, though he asked a company official to get in touch with him on Tuesday.

According to KGL spokesperson Rana Abu-Zaineh, the company had agreed to all demands of the kidnappers, who call themselves the ‘Holders of the Black Banner’. ‘‘We have agreed to all demands, I repeat all demands, made by the kidnappers. And I am sure that once they get to hear what we have offered, there would not be more problem in securing the release. We have heard Sheikh Al-Dulaimi’s statement and will get in touch with him tomorrow,’’ she told The Indian Express. She also indicated that the company would explore other possible means to secure the release of the hostages. ‘‘Let it be clear that KGL is determined to get the seven hostages released and we will do everything we can to succeed in our efforts.’’

While Abu-Zaineh had earlier in the day issued an appeal to Dulaimi on Al-Arabiya television asking him to restart the talks, she also maintained that KGL could not be expected to cough up compensation for Fallujah victims as the incident had nothing to do with the company. It was on this issue that Dulaimi had withdrawn from the talks last night.

Contact was subsequently established with Dulaimi, who assured that the hostages were still safe. This was also confirmed by Minister of State for External Affairs E. Ahamed, who heads the Crisis Management Group. ‘‘We have been informed through our embassies in Baghdad and Kuwait that contact has been maintained between Sheikh Al-Dulaimi and KGL company. We remain hopeful that these negotiations will come to a successful conclusion but we have to remain patient…The outlook remains positive,’’ he said this afternoon.

Later in the evening, he said the evolving crisis had reached a ‘‘sensitive stage’’, which demands ‘‘careful circumspection on our part collectively’’. He added that the changing developments must be treated with caution and calm.

For its part, the Government has been in touch with Baghdad, where Indian envoy to Oman Talmiz Ahmed has been deputed to monitor the developments. It’s learnt that apart from Zikrur Rehman, one of MEA’s best Arabic interpretors, Ahmed is also assisted by an intelligence official who has been sent by New Delhi specifically for this purpose. He is said to be a specialist in Islamic fundamentalist groups.

Meanwhile, Cabinet Secretary B K Chaturvedi too has been holding regular inter-ministerial meetings. Officials are keeping a watch on people travelling to Kuwait and Jordan, amid disturbing reports that some 50-odd Indians who were trying to enter Turkey from Jordan had ended up in the bordering Kurdish territory. They have apparently been surviving with the help of gurdwaras in the area.