Thousands on march for hostages

TENS of thousands of people joined in a torchlit procession through the Italian capital overnight to call for the release of two women aid workers held hostage in Iraq.

The march came as the Italian Government said it was prepared to lobby for the release of any prisoners being held unfairly in Iraq - an apparent bid to meet a purported ultimatum set by the kidnappers.

Children and adults marched in silence under rainbow-coloured banners and slogans calling for peace in Iraq.

Organisers said 80,000 people had turned out in support of the hostages, Simona Pari and Simona Torretta, whose capture came less than a month after Italian journalist Enzo Baldoni was seized and executed by militants in Iraq.

A statement in the name of the Ansar al-Zawahiri militant group earlier gave Rome 24 hours to promise to release Muslim women prisoners in Iraq in return for details about the two Italian volunteers.

Although the message’s authenticity could not be confirmed, the Italian Government issued a statement saying it would "pursue its action with all the relevant institutions to ensure that any possible detainees who are deprived of freedom without necessary proof are released".

It said, however, that the final decision about releasing any detainees would lie with the Iraqi authorities.

A volunteer for the Italian charity Un Ponte Per Baghdad (A Bridge to Baghdad), for which both hostages worked, was among the marchers overnight.

Ileana, 34, said: "We hope that this demonstration will be a signal for peace in Iraq and for the release of all hostages, Italian, Iraqi and French."

The women’s families had asked participants to refrain from political campaigning during the march - although one group carried a yellow banner calling for the US-led troops to pull out of Iraq, drawing an angry reaction from others in the crowd.

"There is a time for everything. Now is a time for unity," said Piero Fassino, leader of the opposition Democrates of the Left.

"We are here to say no to terrorism because no problem in the world, no matter how serious, can be solved by violence.

"And we are here to call for the release of two young women committed to working with children. They must be returned to their families."

The Italian Government was severely criticised for not doing enough to save Mr Baldoni’s life and the new hostage-taking has sparked calls for national unity.

Leading Muslim figures have recorded prayers held at Rome’s main mosque calling for the release of the aid workers, which will be broadcast on television stations in the Arab world.

Italy has 3000 soldiers and paramilitary police in Iraq as part of the US-led force which invaded last year and now provides military muscle for the interim administration. (AFP)

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