By Xinhua

TEHRAN, Oct. 6 (Xinhua) -- Iranian Foreign Minister Ali-Akbar Salehi on Saturday sought Qatar and Turkey's help to secure the release of 48 Iranian nationals abducted in Syria in August, Press TV reported.

Salehi asked for help in separate telephone conversations with Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim al-Thani and Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu on Saturday.

Davutoglu told his Iranian counterpart that Ankara will continue efforts to secure the release of the abductees, said the report.

Also, in another telephone call to his Syrian counterpart Walid al-Muallem on Saturday, Salehi underlined the need for a serious pursuit of the abductees' release.

On Aug. 4, a total of 48 Iranians, who, according to Iranian officials, were pilgrims, were abducted by militants in the Syrian capital Damascus.

On Friday, the Syrian militants threatened that they would execute the abducted Iranians unless Syria's army withdrew from the embattled Eastern Ghuta area of Damascus and to accomplish their other demands.

They gave the Syrian government 48 hours to respond to their calls.

An Iranian lawmaker said Saturday that the threat by Syrian insurgents to kill those kidnapped Iranian nationals is "a bluff and not serious."

"This is just a bluff to make a psychological war because they don't have any way, they are probably in a difficult situation," Mansour Haqiqatpour told semi-official ISNA news agency.

Iran is planning to send a parliamentary delegation to Syria and to hold talks with influential countries to help release the hostages, Haqiqatpour was quoted as saying.

 

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