Appeal for show of solidarity with hostage

The sister of a German aid worker kidnapped last month in Iraq today appealed for her compatriots to demonstrate for her release in a signal of solidarity with the captive.

Anja Osthoff, the sister of Susanne Osthoff, said she had no word on the fate of her sister, who disappeared on November 25 in northern Iraq along with her Iraqi driver.

The German government did not immediately return calls seeking comment on a report by ZDF television that it had contacted go-betweens who in turn had contact with the kidnappers. The report cited no sources and did not identify the purported mediators.

“I ask the German population for solidarity with my sister,” Anja Osthoff told a news conference at which she helped launch an online petition for the hostage’s release.

Anja Osthoff said demonstrations in France and Italy had been important in keeping the plight of earlier captives from those countries in the public eye.

“My sister, Susanne, also needs this public sympathy … sign the public appeal and attend protests,” she said.

Osthoff and her driver were shown in a videotape blindfolded and sitting on a floor, with militants – one armed with a rocket-propelled grenade – standing beside them.

The captors threatened to kill the hostages unless Germany stops dealing with the Iraqi government.

While it opposed the war, Germany has since begun training Iraqi soldiers and police outside the country.