There is new hope that the two British charity workers being held in Chechnya could be released soon.

At a meeting with the President of Chechnya, the Conservative MP David Willetts was told that Camilla Carr and Jon James could be freed in the near future.

The two volunteers, both in their late 30s, were kdinapped by six masked men in the Chechen capital, Grozny, in July. They were working for the Centre for Peacemaking and Community Development.

David Willetts MP: optimistic

There have been no firm reports of their whereabouts, but the Chechen authorities insist they are alive.

Ms Carr's sister Alexandra said: "The bottom line is we still have no idea where they are. Until we see them here on terra firma, we can only be cautiously optimistic."

The Chechen President has told Mr Willetts the hostages would be freed "in the near future".

President Maskhadov: assurances of imminent release

Mr Willetts, who was on a mission to smooth relations between Russian and Chechnya, said: "I think this is a significant development. I argued that holding the hostages was damaging to Chechnya. I secured a statement from him which allows me to be rather optimistic."

Two Scotland Yard officers stepped up the pressure on the Chechen authorities at the weekend. They flew to Nazran, a volatile area on the Chechen border, and the Foreign Office said they would not return until they had "pursued every lead possible".
 

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