The British government is attempting to make contact with the terrorist group holding Mr Ken Bigley, Mr Tony Blair said today.
Mr Blair, speaking at the British Labour Party conference in Brighton, said he was encouraged by the overnight release of two Italian hostages.
The government is doing all it can to secure Mr Bigley's release, said Mr Blair, adding that efforts are being made to establish links with the kidnappers.
Interviewed on GMTV, Mr Blair said of the released Italian hostages: "It is encouraging if hostages are being released."
But on Mr Bigley, who is being held by a hardline group led by the Jordanian Abu Musab al Zarqawi, Mr Blair said: "The difficulty is that we are trying to make contact with this particular group, because these are outside people, they are not Iraqis ... they are outside terrorist groups, and we are trying to make contact with them and we are doing everything we possibly can.
"As I always say to people, it is probably better if I don't go into details of all that. But our thoughts continue to be with the Bigley family, who have been extraordinary."
PA
