New Delhi: The four-week-old Iraq hostage crisis involving three Indians showed no signs of ending with the captives' employer KGL (Kuwait Gulf Link) maintaining that the negotiations with the abductors failed to take off today (Aug 18, 2004).

Amid the continued impasse, the Crisis Management Group (CMG) headed by Minister of State for External Affairs E Ahamed met in New Delhi for nearly two hours to deliberate on the issue.

"There is no development. The status quo is maintained," KGL spokesperson Rana Abu-Zaineh told over phone from Kuwait.

The negotiations have been stalled for the last 10 days since KGL pulled out of talks accusing Sheikh Hisham al-Dulaimi, mediating for the abductors, of "playing games".

The company then asked the kidnappers to "officially" nominate their representative or hold direct talks for securing release of the hostages Antaryami, Tilak Raj and Sukhdeo Singh but the militant outfit has still not responded to the proposal.

The Iraqi militant group 'Islamic Secret Army-Holders of Black Banners' abducted the three Indian drivers of KGL along with three Kenyans and an Egyptian on July 21.

The group demanded that KGL end its operations in Iraq and pay compensation to the 250 victims of operations by US-led forces in Fallujah.

Zaineh had said yesterday (Aug 17, 2004) that the hostages were safe and attributed it to information provided by "some Iraqi friends and other sources".