ROME
Italian journalist Domenico Quirico, a correspondent for la Stampa newspaper, has not been contacted for 20 days after entering Syria early this month.
Editor-in-chief Mario Calabresi said in an article published on the newspaper's website, "We have had no contact with our journalist Domenico Quirico for 20 days after he went to a place near Homs for a some interviews."
Calabresi said, the last time he heard from Quirico was on April 9 after he entered Syria from Lebanon.
"We had hoped that keeping quiet would help bring about a solution," said Calabresi and added, after six days of silence, la Stampa together with the journalist's family contacted the Italian Foreign Ministry crisis unit.
The 62-year-old journalist has long experience in conflict zones, having covered stories in Libya, Sudan and Mali.