Foreign Minister Steinmeier on the Release of Two German Hostages in Iraq

Federal Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier issued the following statement in Santiago de Chile on 2 May:

"I am delighted to inform you that Thomas Nitzschke and René Bräunlich, the two men from Leipzig who were kidnapped in Iraq, are as of today free again.

After more than three months in inhumane conditions they are now safe in German hands in Iraq and – this is the plan at the moment – will be returning to Germany tomorrow.

According to our initial information, both men are unhurt and are in a stable condition under the circumstances. They are currently being looked after in Iraq.

I spoke on the phone with René Bräunlich and Thomas Nitzschke a few moments ago and told them how happy we all are to know that they are free again.

We have informed the two men's families of the happy outcome of the kidnap. After weeks of anxious, agonizing waiting in fear and uncertainty, we now have the happy outcome we had all so desperately hoped for.

I should like to take this opportunity to thank all those who helped secure the release of the two men:

• the staff of the crisis unit at the Federal Foreign Office, the Embassy in Baghdad and our other Embassies in the region, the Federal Intelligence Service and the Federal Criminal Police Office;
• our American, European and regional partners;
• the families and friends of René Bräunlich and Thomas Nitzschke, who never lost heart and contributed in exemplary manner to the efforts to secure the men's release;
• all those in Leipzig who, week for week, demonstrated in such an impressive way their solidarity with the two hostages.

Notwithstanding our profound relief at the release of René Bräunlich and Thomas Nitzschke, our thoughts at this time also go out to those who still remain in captivity in Iraq.

We call upon their kidnappers to release them unharmed as soon as possible."

Advanced Search    Help

Statements & Speeches

2007

2006

2005

2004

2003

2002

2001

2000

1999

1998

1997

1996

Subscribe Here You can also read the current issues here.

Printer-Friendly Page