Friends of journalist detained in Syria

Family members and friends of an Al Jazeera journalist detained last week in Syria were relieved when news of her whereabouts surfaced Wednesday, but they now have concerns as to when she will be released.The Syrian government acknowledged holding Dorothy Parvaz, a reporter with the Al Jazeera English network, who had gone missing after arriving in Damascus on Friday to cover the ongoing unrest in Syria, the network said.Syrian officials confirmed they were holding Parvaz but it was unclear how her case would proceed, said Sophia Quereshi, a spokeswoman for Al Jazeera.We are worried about Dorothy's welfare, security and safety. Syria should release her immediately," a statement released by the network said.The Syrian Embassy in Washington did not respond Wednesday to CNN's calls seeking comment.Kristen Young, a friend and former colleague with Parvaz at the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, said Parvaz had recently returned from reporting on the aftermath of the earthquake in Japan and had covered political strife in Iran.On Monday, Iranian foreign minister Ali Akbar Salehi expressed his concerns regarding her detention to state-run TV.