REPORTER HOME AFTER 157 DAYS AS IRAQ HOSTAGE

BAGHDAD/PARIS, June13, 2005 (Telegraph) - Florence Aubenas of the French daily Libération was freed on Saturday and flew home yesterday to scenes of jubilation from family, friends and many ordinary citizens. ... Her Iraqi guide, Hussein Hanoun al-Saaedi, was also released and returned home to his family in Baghdad. ... The Libération reporter spent more time as the prisoner of her captors than any other foreigner who has survived such an ordeal.

Miss Aubenas yesterday thanked the French public and media for their support during her captivity. She said she had been kept in "severe" conditions in a basement, blindfolded with her hands and ankles bound.

Well, at least Mlle. Aubendas is less sanguine about her abduction and treatment than the gabby Georges Malbrunot and Muhamed al-Joundi.

Mr Chirac even turned up at a military airport outside Paris to greet her on arrival but the journalist appeared far more interested in the reunion with her family than meeting the head of state.

It is unclear whether a ransom was paid for her release, although diplomatic sources in Baghdad said the capture of the 44-year-old "was financially, rather than politically motivated."

FRANCE DENIES RANSOM PAID FOR AUBENAS RELEASE

"There was absolutely no demand for money. No ransom was paid," government spokesman Jean-Francois Cope told journalists as Aubenas and her interpreter, Hussein Hanun, returned home after being freed the day before.

"There is no hostage release without something in return and, among the demands, there is obviously a demand for money," [Robert Menard, the head of Reporters sans Frontières, suggesting the kidnappers initially asked for $15 million].

But, after the French foreign ministry retorted that his comments "about a so-called ransom in no way correspond with the reality," Menard issued a statement saying he had "badly expressed himself."

We ask again how discussions proceed with kidnappers who have no demands.

Perhaps it is unfair to impute any motives to Mlle. Aubenas' captors other than the local sport of kidnapping a Western journalist and generating some headlines. After all, these are Arab gentlemen insurgents/militants/sportsmen, who would never sully their reputations extorting money or making unreasonable demands.

Then again, perhaps not.

'EXORBITANT' DEMANDS MADE FOR AUBENAS RELEASE

PARIS, June 13, 2005 (AFP) - The French left-wing daily Liberation dedicated its Monday edition to the release of senior correspondent Florence Aubenas... It spoke of an intermediary, dubbed "The Imprecator" and the troubled role of maverick French deputy Didier Julia, known for his contacts with Syria and the former Baathist regime in Iraq.

"The Imprecator was one of the first to make contact with the French authorities (in January) to present demands deemed 'exorbitant'," the paper said.

By late April the Imprecator, so-called because of his yelling, threatening style of negotiation, was being seen "more and more as a key figure," according to Liberation.

Negotiations became complicated because "the group holding Florence and Hussein appeared divided or were implementing several plans and intermediaries at the same time".

Associates of maverick ruling party deputy Julia had repeatedly announced the "imminent release" of Aubenas, and would subsequently accuse the French government of missing a golden opportunity to do so, the paper said.

In March, Aubenas appeared in a video appealing for Julia's help. He was warned by then Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin not to interfere with official efforts to secure her freedom.

UPDATE 06.14.05: Mlle. Aubenas reports while in captivity she was allowed a walk of 24 steps daily to the toilet, was made to wear a T-shirt that read "Titanic", and was asked for the e-mail address of French President Jack.

Aubenas said the head kidnapper, known as "the boss," had at one point called her a "pathetic hostage" because she argued over the text of a video recording to be published.

Mlle. Aubenas charmed the reporters at her news conference, which was "often interrupted by laughter over her ironic account". Not to take anything away from Mlle. Aubenas, but we saw no front page newspaper reports taking her Arab gentlemen kidnappers to task. No calls from AI for redress. No outrage in the Arab press where infidels get what they deserve. No Senators nor Representatives thought it fit to get before a camera and comment on what Mlle. Aubenas's treatment says about the character of the insurgency in general or the Arab gentlemen kidnappers in particular. Kidnapping, deprivations, threats, humiliations -- those Arabs, what jokers.

OMG!!!

That poor lady, how could those people torture her like that? I mean, Titanic?

Kalroy