On the Australian hostage in Iraq

Concerning the file of hostages in Iraq, Australia on Monday dispatched a team to discuss the possibility of releasing the Australian hostage Douglas Woods who was announced as kidnapped.

The kidnappers of the Australian, a group calling itself Iraq's Mujahidee Shoura council demanded in a video tape in which the hostage was shown surrounded by gunmen, the withdrawal of the Australian forces from Iraq.

However, the Australian prime minister John Howard stressed that his government will not be subjected to the demands of the kidnappers to pullout 550 soldiers from Iraq. Australia is preparing to deploy other 350 soldiers in Iraq.

On the other hand, Muwaffaq al-Rubei, the Iraqi national security advisor, said that the American forces and other foreign forces in Iraq will start more expectedly to withdraw in large numbers by the fall of the mid of 2006.

In an interview with the American CNN he said "It will be a great surprise for me if the foreign forces will not think seriously to start the withdrawal by the end of the first half of next year."