Enlarge imageLONDON (Reuters) - Prime Minister Tony Blair says he will do whatever he can to save Kenneth Bigley, held hostage in Iraq under threat of death, but that he does not want to raise false hopes.
Blair also vowed British troops would stay in Iraq "until the job was done" and said he hoped elections there would take place as planned in January.
Blair, stung by criticism for taking Britain to war in Iraq, said there was no further news on the fate of the 62-year-old engineer who has been held for a week and a half.
"I hope that despite all the difficulties we can do something but I just don’t know if we can," Blair told BBC TV’s Breakfast with Frost on Sunday.
"There is no point in raising false hopes ... we are doing everything we properly and legitimately can," he said.
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Bigley and two American colleagues were seized from their home in Baghdad by militants led by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the United States’ prime enemy in Iraq.
The militants are threatening to kill Bigley but have set no deadline. They have already executed the two Americans -- Eugene Armstrong and Jack Hensley -- after their demands to have all female prisoners released from Iraqi jails were not met.
The government has said it will not negotiate directly with the kidnappers but two British Muslim leaders have travelled to Iraq, hoping to make some progress towards his release.
Bigley’s brothers, wife and mother have made emotional pleas for his release, some aimed at the kidnappers and others begging Blair to help.
The Prime Minister, whose personal trust ratings have been hit by the controversy surrounding the Iraq war, also stood up for his decision to take Britain to war and said he was committed to delivering democracy and stability there.
"I can assure you we are not going to get out before the job is done," Blair said.
