Five Iranian engineers, technicians abducted in Syria

Five Iranian engineers, technicians abducted in Syria

2011-12-22 21:08:41 GMT+7 (ICT)

TEHRAN (BNO NEWS) -- The Iranian government on Wednesday said that five of its engineers and technicians have been kidnapped by unidentified gunmen in Syria, the semi-official Mehr news agency reported on Thursday. They are reportedly in good health.

The Iranian embassy in Damascus said in a statement that unidentified gunmen abducted the five Iranians on Wednesday at 6:30 a.m. local time while on their way to work in the restive Syrian city of Homs. The Iranian engineers and technicians had been working on the construction project of a power plant in the city.

The statement also called on the Syrian government to take the necessary measures to identify the kidnappers and release the Iranian nationals. Iranian Ambassador to Syria Mohammadreza Sheibani said the kidnappers are seeking to pressure the Islamic Republic to shift policy toward political developments in Syria using "levers of intimidation and terror."

"In view of the fact that the European Union and certain Arab countries have imposed sanctions on Syria, our country's protective measures (meant to cushion) the negative impact of sanctions on dear Syrian people, are intolerable for Western-American axis and certain political groups, so they are trying to stop the process of providing aid and relief for the Syrian people by the Islamic Republic of Iran through this action and (are seeking to) obstruct the implementation of public-interest and development projects," he said. 

The Iranian ambassador called on the "friendly and brotherly" government of Syria to try to facilitate the release of the Iranian nationals. A report by Iran's Press TV on Thursday said the abductees are believed to be in 'good health', but gave no source for its report.

Syria, Iran's closest ally, has been under mounting international pressure to end its deadly crackdown on anti-government protesters. The Syrian government has claimed violent acts against protesters have been carried out by 'terrorists dressed as soldiers,' although international observers have rejected these claims.

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