The 7 Iranian Red Crescent workers who were kidnapped in Libya's Eastern city of Benghazi in August had a third phone contact with their families, an Iranian foreign ministry official said Saturday.

"The kidnapped staff of the (Iranian) Red Crescent in Libya had a phone talk with their families last night for the third time and declared their healthiness," Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister for Consular, Parliamentary and Expatriates' Affairs Hassan Qashqavi told FNA on Saturday.

He further hoped for the immediate freedom of the Iranian nationals as pledged by the Libyan government.

Late in September, the Iranian delegation present at the 67th UN General Assembly meeting in New York held several meetings with the UN and Libyan officials to discuss the fate of the Iranian aid workers.

Speaking to FNA last Saturday, Head of Iran's Red Crescent Society Aboulhassan Faqih said he had held negotiations with the UN Undersecretary-General to in line with his efforts to set the 7 Iranian Red Crescent workers free.

He added that Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi and his Libyan counterpart Ashour bin Khayal also discussed the latest developments in the efforts made by the two countries to free the Iranian workers.

In various meetings, the Libyan officials have assured Iran of pursuing the fate of the Iranian aid workers.

The Libyan Red Crescent said in a statement in August that armed men kidnapped a seven-member delegation from the Iranian Red Crescent visiting Benghazi.

The Iranians were heading to the Tibesti hotel when an armed group intercepted them. They were loaded into a different car and whisked away to an unknown location, the statement added.

The driver of the vehicle, a local volunteer, was not taken. The delegation arrived in Libya early August at the invitation of the Libyan Red Crescent.

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News ID 182949