BUCHAREST, March 28 (Xinhuanet) -- Three Romanian journalists were kidnapped in Iraq, Romanian President Traian Basescu said on Monday.

    "We have alerted all the secret services and the foreign intelligence services of our allies to address the case," Basescu told Romanian TVR1 television.

    The journalists were kidnapped during a short visit to Baghdad from Romania. Two of the reporters work for Romania's private Prima TV, and the other from Romania Libera newspaper.

    According to the Mediafax news agency, Prima TV station received a phone call at around 7 p.m. (1700 GMT) hearing one of the missing journalists calling out: "Don't kill us, we are journalists, we don't have any money." A few minutes later, the station received a text message from the journalists: "We have been kidnapped. It's not a joke. Help us."

    The president and prime minister have ordered the foreign ministry and intelligence services to form a crisis cell to tackle the problem.

    The kidnapping happened just after President Basescu paid a brief visit to his 800 troops in Iraq on Sunday. While other countries are signaling to pull out of the US-led coalition troops in Iraq, the Romanian government is increasing his troops in the turbulent region for support. However, a recent poll showed that 55 percent of the Romanians were opposed to sending troops to Iraq against 36 percent in favor.

    More than 150 foreigners have been abducted in Iraq over the past year. Most of them were freed after negotiations or payment of ransom, but about a third have been killed. Many more Iraqis have been abducted too, often for ransom. Enditem