BUCHAREST - Romanian President Traian Basescu cut short a visit to the Moldovan capital Chisinau on Friday after being told of a new video in which the captors of three Romanian hostages in Iraq threatened to kill them, an official said.
Prima TV reporter Marie-Jeanne Ion and cameraman Sorin Miscoci were kidnapped on March 28 along with Romania Libera correspondent Eduard Ohanesian.
Pictures shown on the Al-Jazeera television "are the proof that they are safe and sound," a presidential spokeswoman said.
"In the series of contacts which have taken place in these recent days, we asked for new proof to confirm that the three Romanian hostages are safe and sound and that the contact person represents the group holding them," she said after Basescu had held a meeting of his crisis cell coordinating the hostage issue.
"These pictures.. include the elements of authentification of the contact person.. and fit into the type of proof required in these situations."
The videotape is in black and white and shows the hostages sitting on the ground, their hands bound, with two standing men who are pointing a revolver and an automatic weapon at them.
They appeal to their government to "withdraw the (Romanian) troops from Iraq" and warn that their captors set an "ultimatum of four days from the broadcast of this video, otherwise they will execute us", Al-Jazeera said.
Basescu said soon after the kidnapping that the 880-strong Romanian military contingent in Iraq would carry out its mission with the US-led coalition that is occupying the country.
04/22/2005 20:56 GMT