Embassy Gets an Angry Letter From Hostages

A letter from Americans and other foreigners complaining about their detention at strategic sites in Iraq reached a Western embassy Monday, diplomats who declined to be identified said.

A photocopy of the handwritten letter, minus the signatures, was distributed to reporters. It referred to foreigners detained inside a gas storage terminal by Iraqi officials. They are among those being held by Iraq to try to deter attack after its invasion Aug. 2 of Kuwait.

The letter said:

“The camp inside the LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) storage terminal compound is in an extremely dangerous location and in the event of fire or explosion resulting from any reason whatsoever, it would be impossible for camp occupants to survive.

“Disregarding our strong protests, the persons named herein have been forced to move into this camp.

“This is contrary to international law, the Helsinki Accord on Human Rights and the promises of his excellency the president, Mr. Saddam Hussein, who has stated that the guests would be housed alongside of Iraqi residents and share the same risks as Iraqi citizens.

“We, the undersigned, continue to protest this immoral and illegal act and herewith demand that we be permitted to contact our respective embassies and inform embassy personnel of this inhuman action being taken by representatives of the Ministry of Petroleum.”

Western diplomats said they believed the signers were Americans and other foreigners.

The diplomats declined to say how many signatures were on the letter, and there was no immediate clue to the location of the plant mentioned.

Asked how the letter was received, one diplomat said it “came along with the mail.” He did not say if it had actually been stamped and postmarked.

About 600 Americans, Britons, Germans, Japanese and other foreigners are being held at strategic sites in Iraq, according to sources. The number is believed to include about 100 Americans.