Pauline Sweeney, the stepmother of one of the hostages, called on the kidnappers to show compassion, and said she shared the anguish of all Iraqi mothers and families with loved ones in captivity.

On Wednesday, the Shiite Islamic Resistance in Iraq, the group holding the men, posted a message on the internet in response to a TV appeal Mrs Sweeney made last Friday.

"We understand your feelings as a mother who misses her son and we ask you in return to feel for the Iraqi mothers who miss their children jailed in your government's prisons for no crime they committed," the group said, "in addition to the suffering of their families, the parents, brothers, wives and children who see their loved ones disappear in the jails of your country who occupied our land, stolen our wealth."

Mrs Sweeney said she and families of the other hostages were innocent people caught up in the conflict.

"You ask us if we feel for the Iraqi mums and families who have their fathers and sons in prison, of course we do," she said.

"They are suffering the same anguish as we are. We are also aware of the struggle and conflict in your country. My heart goes out to each and every one of you and I don't know how you get through day to day."

Peter Moore, an IT consultant from Lincoln who was working in Iraq for BearingPoint, an American management consultancy, was seized by about 40 gunmen dressed as police at the Iraqi Finance Ministry on May 29.

Taken with him were four men employed by Canadian security firm GardaWorld to guard him.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown has promised to work for an early release of all the captives.