Bigley given Irish passport in effort to secure release

Iraqi hostage Mr Kenneth Bigley has been granted an Irish passport by the Government in an effort to help secure his release.

The passport has been scanned and emailed to Mr Bigley's brother Paul in The Hague. It is expected this scan will be broadcast on al-Jazeera tonight.

The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Dermot Ahern, said in a statement this afternoon that he granted the passport following a request from the 62-year-old engineer's family.

An Islamic website reported yesterday that the militant group holding him was said to be "seeking clarification" on Mr Bigley's Irish ancestry. An senior cleric who was in contact with the group said they would look more favourably on releasing him if he was proved Irish rather than British.

"The captors clearly stated to me that they have no fight with the Irish people, but were unsure if he was an Irishman or English and are seeking clarification," Imam Syed al-Kareem said. "The Irish have fought like us to wipe the stain of English Imperialism, murder and rape from their lands."

Mr Ahern said he hoped his action would now help convince the kidnappers of Mr Bigley's Irish citizenship. "I am happy to agree to the request and I, and the Taoiseach and the Government as a whole, very much hope that it will contribute to the efforts to secure his release."

Mr Bigley qualifies for Irish citizenship because his mother, Elizabeth, was born in Ireland. She originally lived in Ticknock, Co Dublin, before moving to Liverpool.

Mr Bigley was captured in Iraq along with two US workers by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's Tawhid and Jihad group on September 16th. The two Americans have since been beheaded by the group, which is linked to al-Qaeda.

Mr Ahern said tonight that, following legal advice and discussions with both the British authorities and the Bigley family, he had granted the passport. "If we can, in any way, as a small, neutral country, give humanitarian aid, we said we would do so," Mr Ahern said.

The minister added that he has also contacted the Jordanian authorities, with whom he developed contacts during his stint as Minister for Communications, and the Arab League.  Jordan is seen as an impartial broker and it is hoped the Amman government may be able to influence the captors. Mr Ahern said Ireland was also highly regarded by the Arab League for its neutrality and its stance on the Middle East.

Mr Paul Bigley said this afternoon he had been informed that the militants had agreed on a ransom for his brother, although he did not know the exact figure. He said his family may need outside help paying the ransom if it was over £500,000.

However, Mr Ahern tonight ruled out using State funds help the Bigleys. He said to do so could risk encouraging other hostage-takers.

It also emerged today that Irish diplomats have contacted officials in Iran as part of the effort to secure Mr Bigley's freedom. Mr Ahern's spokeswoman told ireland.comthat the Minister had asked Irish officials to make representations to Iran on his behalf.

Last week, the Taoiseach and the Sinn Féin president, Mr Gerry Adams, made appeals on al-Jazeera television for the captors to free Mr Bigley. Mr Ahern said he was an "ordinary working man" who did not deserve to be harmed in any way.

The Labour party foreign affairs spokesman, Mr Michael D. Higgins, has been in contact with the Palestinian Authority asking President Yasser Arafat to help Mr Bigley. Nobel Peace Prize laureate and former SDLP leader Mr John Hume also appealed to the captors.

Aras an Uachtarain said yesterday the President, Mrs Mary McAleese, would not intervene in the case as it was "more appropriate" for Mr Ahern to act on Ireland's behalf. Mr Bigley's brother Paul publicly appealed for the President's help last weekend.