Filipino hostage freed at embassy
Philippine leader makes no mention of allies' criticism in address to her nation.
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) -- A Filipino truck driver held hostage in Iraq for nearly two weeks was freed today, a day after his nation withdrew its final peacekeepers from Iraq -- a move that met the kidnappers' demands but angered U.S. and Iraqi officials.
Angelo dela Cruz was brought to the steps of the United Arab Emirates embassy at about 10:30 a.m. and told by the kidnappers to go inside, an embassy official said on condition of anonymity. Embassy officials said there was no coordination between them and the kidnappers.
"We were surprised this morning to receive the Filipino hostage in Iraq, Mr. Angelo dela Cruz, who was set free by his kidnappers and handed to our embassy in Baghdad," Hamad Ahmad al Shamasi, the Emirates' head of mission here, said in a statement.
Philippine government officials arrived at the embassy and drove dela Cruz away about three hours later in a silver Mercedes. He will be sent to Abu Dhabi for a medical checkup, al Shamasi said.
Dela Cruz's family in the Philippines' Pampanga province reacted with joy.
"We're quite happy but we will be really, really happy once we see the president holding our brother. Thank you to everyone," said dela Cruz's brother Feliciano.
President's address
Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo went on live national television to confirm dela Cruz's release and say that he is healthy and well.
But while she said she was happy that Angelo dela Cruz is coming home, she warned that other "innocents" will not be so lucky if terrorists continue to mount attacks and kidnappings.
"It was a time of trial and a time of triumph," Arroyo said of the difficult negotiations that led to release of dela Cruz, who was snatched by insurgents near Fallujah on July 7.
She said she had spoken with dela Cruz, a truck driver and member of a family of eight who has become a national icon in a country that has more than 7 million citizens working abroad.
"To the family, Angelo is going home," she said.
Arroyo made no mention of the criticism she has taken from allies for meeting the kidnappers demand that she withdraw the Philippines' 51-strong troop contingent in Iraq early, saying only that she did not regret her decision. The peackeepers had been scheduled to leave on Aug. 20.
The United States and other nations have warned that the Philippine decision could encourage kidnappers in Iraq, and have said Arroyo's decision threatens to damage her nation's cozy links with Washington.
A U.S. official told The Associated Press on Sunday that Washington was re-evaluating ties with the Philippines. The Iraqi government has expressed disappointment with the Philippines' decision to remove its troops.
Marine refutes allegation
Meanwhile, the U.S. Marine who was once feared beheaded by Iraqi insurgents after disappearing from his unit has stepped forward to deny he was ever a deserter, insisting that "Once a Marine, always a Marine."
Cpl. Wassef Ali Hassoun has been under a cloud of suspicion since failing to report for duty June 20. Videotaped images later surfaced showing him apparently kidnapped; he emerged unharmed in Lebanon on July 8.
"I did not desert my post," Hassoun told reporters outside Quantico Marine Corps Base in Virginia on Monday. "I was captured and held against my will by anti-coalition forces for 19 days. This was a very difficult and challenging time for me."
Hassoun, 24, of West Jordan, Utah, disappeared from his base near the troubled Iraqi city of Fallujah and later turned up at the U.S. Embassy in Beirut. It remains unclear how he traveled from Iraq to Lebanon, where he was born and still has some relatives.
On June 27, Arab television showed a videotape of a blindfolded Hassoun, a sword hanging over his head. At one point during his disappearance, a group claiming to represent his captors announced that he had been beheaded after being lured from the base by a love affair.
Hassoun did not answer any questions during his brief appearance Monday. He is in the midst of what the Marines call a "repatriation process" in which he is debriefed and given time to decompress and avoid the media spotlight, officials said.
"I would like to tell all the Marines as well as all those others serving in Iraq to keep their heads up and spirits high. Once a Marine, always a Marine, Semper Fi," Hassoun said, invoking the Marine Corps motto, Latin for "always faithful."
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