Families of kidnapped Britons make appeal

LONDON - The families of five Britons held hostage in Iraq appealed to their kidnappers on Wednesday to release them and said they would explore all options to ensure their safe return.

The five men -- a computer consultant and his four bodyguards -- were snatched from a Finance Ministry building in Baghdad in May.

The men, who have not been named, appeared in a video on December 4 in which their kidnappers threatened to kill them if Britain failed to leave Iraq within 10 days.

One man said on the recording that he felt they had been forgotten.

"We love you and miss you very much and want you to know that you are never out of our thoughts," the men's families said in a statement read by former Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey.

"We appeal to those holding you; please allow our loved ones to hear this message and let them know how much we love them. We know that you have the power to return them to us and we ask you to do so."

"We remain serious and committed to exploring all the options open to us to bring about their safe return," the men's relatives said.