Brown in talks on 'hostage' video

A man saying he is Peter Moore appears in the video

Prime Minister Gordon Brown has held talks with his Iraqi counterpart Nouri Maliki about a video apparently showing a Briton captured in Iraq.

The footage, aired on an Arabic TV channel, appears to show one of five captured Britons appealing to Mr Brown to help secure their freedom.

The man says in English: "My name is Peter Moore, I have been held here for nearly eight months now."

Downing Street said Mr Brown and Mr Maliki had spoken on the telephone.

In the footage, the man asks Mr Brown to free nine Iraqis in exchange for the release of the Britons, who were seized in May 2007.

All I want is to leave this place... release their prisoners so we can go Peter Moore, Captured Briton

A Downing Street spokesman said: "The prime minister has been in close contact with Prime Minister Maliki on this issue and discussed it again with him over the phone this morning.

"Both leaders deplored the taking and public parading of hostages and agreed to continue their close cooperation to secure their early release."

The five men were seized from Baghdad's Finance Ministry by gunmen wearing police uniforms on 29 May 2007 without a shot being fired.

The BBC's Jim Muir in Baghdad said little was known about the hostage-takers, who call themselves the Islamic Shia Resistance in Iraq, as they had not been heard of before.

Not authenticated

He said they could be connected to the Mehdi Army militia or have possible links with Iran.

The video has not yet been authenticated but he said there was "little to doubt the veracity of it".

In the video the man, who is wearing a black and white tracksuit and says he is from Lincoln, says: "All I want is to leave this place. I tell Gordon Brown the matter is simple: release their prisoners so we can go.

"It's as simple as that. It's a simple exchange of people. That is all they want - their people, and we can go home."

Security experts said he looked as though he had been forced into making the statement and, although he appeared physically well, seemed to be under extreme stress.

BBC News security correspondent Frank Gardner said on Tuesday the kidnappers appeared to have mellowed their tone since the release of a previous tape in December 2007.

In that footage, one of the four British bodyguards, seized along with IT consultant Mr Moore, was flanked by gunmen and warned of an ultimatum.

'Negotiable aims'

Our correspondent said: "The good news is that in the extremely brutal and violent world of Iraqi abductions these men appear to be relatively moderate.

"They've got negotiable aims, although of course Britain doesn't officially negotiate with hostage-takers.

"The fact that they... appear to be keeping [these men] alive, reasonably well fed, not chained up, and that they haven't apparently executed any of them after more than eight months is encouraging."

The Foreign Office condemned the video and encouraged anyone who may have influence over the kidnappers to do what they could to ensure the hostages' release.