A senior Japanese ruling party official rejected Monday appeals from hostages' relatives to meet kidnappers' demand.

Family member of the three Japanese hostages held in Iraq met with Shinzo Abe, secretary general of the Liberal Democratic Party,appealing the government to withdraw the Self-Defense Forces from Iraq in exchange for the return of their beloved.

"Is it really impossible to meet their demand?" the relatives said.

Abe said the government was exerting all efforts to rescue the hostages, but insisted that there was no pulling out the troops.

Responding to their repeated request to meet Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, Abe said he will forward the message to Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda. The premier had refused to grand adirect meeting with the victim's relatives.

During the talks with visiting US Vice President Dick Cheney the same day, Koizumi reaffirmed that the SDF in Iraq will stay oncourse.

More than 500 Japanese ground troops are based in southern Iraqi city of Samawah on humanitarian mission.

Qatar-based Al-Jazeera TV channel aired a video footage in which a Iraqi militant group threatened to kill the three Japaneseif the SDF does not leave Iraq within three days. The same broadcaster reported Saturday the hostages would be released within 24 hours. But none has been freed as yet.

At a latest press conference late Monday, Fukuda said the safety of the three remained unconfirmed.

Source: Xinhua