France confirms that two hostages are given to a group supporting their release

France announced that the Islamic Army group in Iraq handed over the two kidnapped journalists to an Iraqi group supporting their release.

Chief editor of the French daily "Figaro" told al-Jazeera TV quoting the French minister of the interior Dominique de Villepin that these news are confidential but still he is cautious until the two French men are in "safe hands." The French minister of the interior expected a happy end for the question of the two journalists, stressing that all indicators show that every thing proceeds in the rightful direction.

The French minister of culture and telecommunications Reno De Faber said that the two journalists Christian Shino and George Malbrono are no longer in the hands of the kidnappers who seized them.

Earlier in the day, the French foreign minister Michael Barnieh said in a press conference in Amman that the two journalists are alive in Iraq and receive good treatment, stressing that Paris deals with this information cautiously.

Barnieh added in the joint press conference with the three representatives for the French Council on Islamic Faith that the information Paris received in recent hours are encouraging.

The delegation of the higher Council on Islamic Faith in France paid a short visit to Baghdad on Thursday, stressing its confidence in the expected release of the two journalists. Member of the delegation Abdullah Zikri who acts on Behalf of Paris's mosque said "there is a desire on behalf of the kidnappers to release them but they do not know how to do that because they fear the Americans." He also explained that there are fears in the kidnappers of the two journalists to fall in the hands of another armed group.