Afghanistan's government Sunday said it was doing all it could to free an Italian aid worker kidnapped in Kabul three weeks ago, while more than 100 women rallied calling for her to be released. Clementina Cantoni, 32, was abducted by armed men on May 16 as she was being driven to her home. She was working for CARE International on a project helping Afghan widows and their families. "We are doing ... whatever possible to bring to an end the case peacefully and to get Clementina safe and free," Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah told reporters in the Afghan capital. "I am optimistic that this situation will come to a peaceful, happy ending, " The Associated Press quoted the Foreign Minister as saying. The Ministry of Interior said in a statement Saturday that it had received hundreds of phone calls from the public about the kidnapping and that police were pursuing all the leads. "The Afghan public sees Clementina as a 'Daughter of Afghanistan,' and they want their daughter returned to them safely and quickly," the statement said. In a statement a day earlier, the ministry said it was still in direct contact with the Italian's kidnappers.
