Thursday 10 February 2005, 22:57 Makka Time, 19:57 GMT
Giuliana Sgrena was seized on February 3 in front of a mosque in Baghdad.
After the abduction, different contradictory statements from Islamist Jihad movements claimed responsability on many websites.
Another movement released a declaration to the Italian government on Thursday, "We give the Italian government 48 hours to announce a withdrawal from Iraq, and that is the condition for disclosing the fate of the Italian journalist called Giuliana Sgrena."
"The mujahidin are now addressing a new message to the Italian government to say that keeping Italian forces in the Land of the Two Rivers (Iraq) will lead to a bloody war," claimed the new statement and "And the criminal [Italian Prime Minister Silvio] Berlusconi and his government will not be happy as long as a single Italian soldier remains in the Land of the Two Rivers," it said.
Even if the authenticity of the document cannot be officially confirmed, it is a logical request from the point of view of the insurgents that puts the Italian Premier in front of a difficult choice.
Il Romanaccio at 1:46 PM
