The series of kidnapping in Iraq

In another development in Iraq, three veiled men stressed in statements to a group of Iraqi journalists in Balad area to the north of Baghdad that the delegate of the French "Liberation" newspaper Florence Obeina who was missed in Iraq with her Iraqi translator Hussein hanoun al-Saadi is in a good condition.

Obeina and her Iraqi translator went missing since Wednesday morning. She has been making since December 16 investigations for her newspaper dealing in particular with women candidates for the Iraqi elections.

In Paris, French journalists on Saturday defended their rights to cover news in Iraq after the French President Jacque Chirac urged them to stay away from Iraq following the disappearance of journalist Obeina.

On the other hand, the British daily "Sunday Telegraph" said that Britain will announce within days sending some 650 soldiers to Iraq in order to enhance security in that country before the legislative elections due by the end of the current month.

According to this paper, these forces will be positioned in the areas where the British forces have control in southern Iraq, but can be transferred to more dangerous areas near Baghdad.