Iran's deputy foreign minister says Libya has set up a committee to pursue the fate of seven members of the Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS) who were abducted in the African country, Press TV.
Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister for Consular, Iranians, and Parliamentary Affairs Hassan Qashqavi said on Wednesday that the seven-member delegation of the IRCS had been present in the Libyan city of Benghazi at the time of former dictator Muammar Gaddafi.
"They had supplied the Libyan revolutionaries with five convoys of relief aid including a field hospital and 40 tons of medicine through the IRCS," Qashqavi added.
On July 31, gunmen kidnapped a seven-member delegation from the Iranian Red Crescent visiting the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi.
Qashqavi, who has travelled to Libya to take necessary measures for the release of the abductees, said he held talks with several Libyan officials including the country's Foreign Minister Ashour Bin Khayal regarding the issue during his trip.
He expressed hope the Iranian abductees would be released before or after Bin Khayal travels to Tehran to attend the Non-Aligned Movement summit in late August.
Earlier on August 8, Iran's Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi said the country's Foreign Ministry is actively pursuing the fate of the Iranian nationals held hostage in Libya.
Salehi said Iran had sent different letters to related international bodies and expected that the regional governments take the necessary measures to secure the release of the captives.
Edited by: S. Isayev