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Iraq to world: Keep diplomats in Baghdad
(Agencies)
Updated: 2005-07-08 20:20
Iraq urged the world's nations Friday to refuse to be "subjected to
blackmail" and keep their diplomatic missions in the country despite a claim by
an al-Qaida wing that it killed Egypt's top envoy last weekend.
A blindfolded man purported to be
Ihab al-Sherif, head of the Egyptian Diplomatic Mission in Iraq, is seen in a
video on an al-Qaida-linked Web site released Thursday July 7, 2005 at an
unknown location in Iraq. Al-Qaida's wing in Iraq claimed Thursday it had killed
Egypt's top envoy who was abducted by gunmen last weekend and warned it would go
after 'as many ambassadors as we can' to punish countries that support Iraq's
U.S.-backed leadership.[AP]
Al-Qaida in Iraq claimed in a Web posting that it had killed the
Egyptian diplomat, Ihab al-Sherif, and warned it would go after "as many
ambassadors as we can" to punish countries that support Iraq's U.S.-backed
leadership.
Saad Mohammed Ridha, the head of Iraq's diplomatic mission in Cairo, told The
Associated Press that Egypt's foreign ministry informed him late Thursday that
the mission would close temporarily and the staff was recalled.
An Egyptian official in Cairo also said Egypt would temporarily close its
mission in Iraq and has recalled its staff — although there was no sign Friday
that any of the Egyptians were leaving.
Iraqi government spokesman Laith Kubba said he hadn't been informed that
Egypt intended to recall its diplomats, but urged other countries not to be
intimidated.
"If the rest of the diplomatic missions from Europe and the neighboring
countries give in, this means that all the capitals of the world will be
subjected to blackmail," Kubba said Friday.
The announcement from Iraq's most feared terror group appeared on an
al-Qaida-linked Web site and featured a brief video showing al-Sherif, wearing a
polo shirt. The video did not show his death, but the statement promised more
details later. Al-Qaida in Iraq, led by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, normally releases
videos of its victims' deaths.
The Iraqi foreign ministry offered condolences for the "assassination" and an
Egyptian diplomat who spoke to Egyptian reporters in Cairo said the government
was sure al-Sherif was dead "from our own means." He spoke on condition of
anonymity and did not elaborate.
News of the killing marked a dramatic escalation in a campaign to discourage
Arab and Muslim governments from sending ambassadors and strengthening ties with
Iraq, as Washington wants. Last month, Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari
announced that Egypt would be the first Arab country to upgrade its diplomatic
representation by appointing a full-fledged ambassador.
In Cairo, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak insisted his country will continue
to support Iraq.
"This terrorist act will not deter Egypt from its firm position in support of
Iraq and its people," the statement said. Al-Sherif "lost his life at the hands
of terrorism that trades in Islam but knows no nation and no religion."
Al-Sherif, 51, was seized Saturday in Baghdad. Three days later, gunmen fired
on senior envoys from Pakistan and Bahrain, two Muslim nations with close ties
to the United States, in apparent kidnap attempts.
In its latest statement, al-Qaida said it did not announce al-Sherif's
kidnapping until after the subsequent attacks "to be able to capture as many
ambassadors as we can."
Iraqi officials, meanwhile, sought to assure foreign governments that their
diplomats would be safe. Officials said al-Sherif, a former deputy ambassador to
Israel, was grabbed in a dangerous neighborhood while traveling without armed
escorts.
Egypt's U.N. ambassador asked the U.N. Security Council on Thursday to
urgently address the issue of protecting diplomats in Iraq. Ambassador Maged
Abdelaziz said the council should address the issue "in a manner which would
secure the lives of those diplomats, not only of Egypt but of other countries
who have been subject to such brutal attacks in the past few
days."
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