The three Indians taken hostage in Iraq are 'safe and sound', Ministry of External Affairs spokesman Navtej Sarna said on Monday.

Three Indians -- Antaryami, Tilak Raj and Sukhdev Singh -- were among six people taken hostage by a group that calls itself 'Black Flags'.'

"We are in touch with the company Kuwait and Gulf Link Transport Company for which they were working and we have been told that the Indian hostages as well others are safe," he said.

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Sarna, however, refused to reveal what stage the negotiations had reached. "We would like to tell you the basic minimum and we expect cooperation from the media in this respect. The negotiations are in a very delicate stage," he said.

He said External Affairs Minister Natwar Singh's appeal on an Arabic channel had a positive impact. "We have good relations with the Arab world and his appeal has had a very positive impact," he said.

Referring to some reports, he said. "If the reports about dropping the threat of execution is true then it is a welcome step. We have also learnt that the captors have extended the deadline and now it is open ended. We hope the issue would be resolved soon. We are in touch with various negotiators and all indications are positive."

He assured the families of the hostages that the Government of India was doing everything it can to ensure safe and early release of their near and dear ones.