Foreign Minister Tuomioja pleased with Bahaaldin's release

Press release 153/2005
11 May, 2005

Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja said he was pleased to learn on Wednesday, 11 May, that Finnish citizen Omar Bahaaldin who was arrested in Iraq on 5 May has been released. Yesterday, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs assigned the Finnish Embassy in Damascus to clarify the situation regarding Bahaaldin. Minister Tuomioja was today scheduled to meet activists who have appealed for the release of Bahaaldin, but the meeting was cancelled after the news on his release.

Further information: Departmental Secretary Kari Lehtonen, Unit for Consular Services, tel. 09 1605 5735