The Palestinian president and prime minister were intervening Tuesday in the case of two Fox News journalists who have been kidnapped and remain missing.

President Mahmoud Abbas and Ismail Haniyeh, the prime minister of the Hamas-led government, scheduled meetings with the news organization's Jerusalem bureau chief, Eli Fastman, and its chief correspondent in Israel, Jennifer Griffin.

Investigators said the president's office was closely following the probe into the abduction.

Steve Centanni, 60, a US citizen, and Olaf Wiig, 36, of New Zealand, were seized by masked gunmen near the headquarters of the Palestinian security services.

No one has claimed responsibility for Monday's kidnapping, and police said no one has come forward with demands. Major militant groups denied they had anything to do with the abduction.

Prime Minister Helen Clark of New Zealand dispatched diplomats to Gaza to assist in any contacts for their release. She said in Wellington she was "very concerned" about the kidnapping.

Wiig's wife, Anita McNaught, said Fox representatives told her negotiations for their release were already under way. But officials in Gaza said no contact had been established with the kidnappers.

Nabil Abu Rdeina, an Abbas aide, said the president ordered all security forces to work on tracking the two journalists. "This is an unacceptable act. We condemn this operation and hope we will succeed to find a peaceful solution very soon," he said.

An investigator in the case, speaking on condition of anonymity, said suspicions were focusing on a renegade group from an established Palestinian militant organization, but he declined to give further details. The car in which the journalists were taken has been identified, he said.

Centanni was behind the wheel of the Fox vehicle, marked in large letters "TV," when the gunmen pulled up and stopped them, a Fox employee said. A Palestinian who was with them was forced onto the floor at gunpoint, and the two journalists were taken away.

An official following the investigation said the getaway car was spotted driving south along the coastal road.

Police and security forces were deployed at major intersections and roads in Gaza immediately after the kidnapping.

Several foreigners have been kidnapped in Gaza by small groups seeking the release of relatives from jail, jobs or other personal favors. All have been freed within hours or a few days without harm.

(China Daily August 16, 2006)