An Iraqi non-governmental organisation has called for the release of kidnapped aid worker Margaret Hassan and announced a hotline for tips on where she might be.
Mrs Hassan, 59, a long-time Iraq resident who has Irish, British and Iraqi nationality, is director of CARE International 's Baghdad mission and was abducted on October 19. No group has claimed responsibility.
"The kidnapping of Hassan was a grave mistake because she has exerted great efforts in serving the Iraqi people since a very long time," said Samiya Aziz, a senior member of the Iraqi Institute of Peace.
Aziz, who is also a member in the Iraqi National Council, said that only some poor and helpless Iraqis, not politicians, were negatively affected by the kidnapping, adding that the institute receives daily calls by the recipients of CARE humanitarian aid requesting the help to ensure Mrs Hassan's release.
The institute has used local television stations to broadcast messages calling on the kidnappers to free her. In addition, the institute released two mobile phone numbers for people to provide tips for her whereabouts.
The institute is a non-governmental organisation founded after the US invasion of Iraq in 2003. It promotes non-violence and dialogue among ethnic and religious groups in the country.