Last Updated 20/06/2005, 09:37:15
Freed Australian hostage, Douglas Wood, has been reunited with his family in the Australian city of Melbourne.
The 63-year-old engineer was rescued last week during a raid on a Baghdad house after being held for 47 days by Iraqi insurgents.
He and his American wife, Yvonne Given, travelled to Australia from Dubai.
At a press conference at Melbourne Airport, Mr Wood paid tribute to his family.
"I love my family, and I knew that they'd be doing as much as they could to get me out," he said.
Mr Wood says it feels good to be home, but he would consider returning to Iraq for further business.
Apology
Mr Wood has apologised to the Australian prime minister and the US president for his appeals for troop withdrawals from Iraq, which he says were made under duress.
He says the calls he made in a video-taped statement did not reflect his beliefs, and his rescue by Iraqi forces shows that the policies of recruiting and training Iraqi troops are working.
"I'm proof positive that the policies of the American and Australian governments is the right one," he said.
The prime minister, John Howard, says he appreciates Mr Wood's apology, although he was not seeking it.
Mr Howard says it is moving to see the family reunited.
He has rejected suggestions that the Australian team sent to Iraq actually hindered efforts to rescue Mr Wood.
"This suggestion that in some way a botched operation by Australians meant that he would have been, that he was not released as early as he might have been, that is completely wrong," he said.
