Barack Obama to Host Hostage Families as Policy Under Review

Washington: US President Barack Obama will open the White House to families of hostages held overseas on today, a symbolic step to address criticism that his government has been uncaring and unresponsive.

Completing a review of the US government's hostage policy, Obama will announce a range of administrative measures to improve coordination and communication with families.

But the policy review is expected to uphold a longstanding and controversial stance of not negotiating with terror groups nor paying ransoms.

"The president does tend to believe that it's important for the United States of America to adhere closely to a non-concessions policy," said White House spokesman Josh Earnest.

"That is a policy that was not under review in this process."

The White House argues that ransoms help fund extremist groups like Islamic State and would make US citizens more of a target.

But some have complained that policy costs American lives and that hostages from some European countries are often freed because such payments are made.

The White House may remove the threat of families being prosecuted for making ransom payments themselves.

It may also re-establish task teams dealing with each individual hostage case.

Families have repeatedly expressed anguish and anger about their dealings with a myriad of government agencies.

They complain of limited communications and even hostility when trying to secure the return of loved ones or on learning of their death.

Diane Foley, the mother of James Foley, who was beheaded by his Islamic State captors, said she felt abandoned by the government.

"I think our efforts to get Jim freed were an annoyance," she told CNN weeks after his death, adding that she was threatened with prosecution when discussion the raising of a ransom.

"Jim was killed in the most horrific way. He was sacrificed because of just a lack of coordination, lack of communication, lack of prioritization," she said.

"As a family, we had to find our way through this on our own."

Amid public outcry, the Obama administration launched a review in December.

In recent months Obama has met some of the families of hostages at their homes.

Lessons learned

In May he traveled to Miami and met the family of Steven Sotloff, who was abducted in Syria and beheaded by the Islamic State group in September.

"We can improve our ability to communicate with the families of those who are placed in this terrible situation," said Earnest.

He said the goal of the review was to make sure the White House was "better and more closely integrating the wide variety of US government assets that are used to try to safely recover US citizens who are being held hostage."

The White House, FBI, CIA, Department of Justice, Pentagon and State Department can all be involved in any specific case, leaving no one office responsible for talking to families.

US media reports have suggested Obama may hand the FBI the lead role, a suggestion criticized down by Republican Congressman Duncan Hunter.

"The changes offered up by the White House prove that neither the right questions were asked nor were any lessons learned," he said.

"The FBI is not organized or developed for hostage recovery in hostile areas, yet they are leading the fusion cell."