Egyptian diplomat in Iraq taken captive

By Aljazeera

An Egyptian diplomat has been seized in Baghdad by a group calling itself "Lions
of God Battalions in Iraq".

The capture was in response to comments by Egyptian Prime Minister Ahmad Nazif
that Egypt is ready to offer its security experience to the interim Iraqi government,
a videotape aired on Aljazeera channel said

The captive has been identified as Muhammad Mamduh Hilmi Qutb, the television
said based on the videotape sent to it by the group on Friday.

Egypt reaction

In a quick reaction to the abduction from Cairo, the Egyptian government said
it was "absolutely not" considering troops to Iraq.

Egypt reaction

In a quick reaction to the abduction from Cairo, the Egyptian government said it was "absolutely not" considering troops to Iraq.

Egypt "reaffirms it is absolutely not considering sending Egyptian forces or soldiers to Iraq," Foreign Minister Ahmad Abul Gheit said on Friday.

The minister stressed that Qutb had been working to help "build brotherly relations linking the peoples of Iraq and Egypt."

Qutb was the third most senior official at the Egyptian mission in the Iraqi capital.

Demand

In the tape aired on Aljazeera the captors said that the Egyptian embassy should not cooperate with the American forces. Instead it should help the Iraqi people in rebuilding the conflict-ridden country.

Qutb was shown sitting in front of six masked men in black, at least one armed with a gun.

Staff of the Egyptian embassy confirmed the diplomat had been seized. "Yes, yes sir it is him," First Secretary Bader el-Din el-Desouki said before hanging up the phone.

Kidnappers have seized dozens of foreigners since April to press demands for foreign troops to leave Iraq, to deter foreigners from working with US occupation forces or to extract ransoms.

Meanwhile, in another videotape aired on Aljazeera, a group which has threatened to behead seven foreign captives - an Egyptian, three Kenyans and three Indians - issued a new 48-hour deadline to their Kuwaiti employers on Friday and demanded Iraqi prisoners be freed from Kuwaiti and US jails.

Compensation demand

The company must also pay compensation to the families of the dead in Falluja, the group stated in its videotape.

US attacks on the Iraqi town of Falluja over the last month have killed about 40 people.

Egypt, Kenya and India are not part of the US-led occupation forces in Iraq but many of their nationals work as drivers and contractors.

Many captives have been freed, including an Egyptian released on Monday after the Saudi firm he worked for agreed to his captors’ demands that it close its offices in Iraq.

On Tuesday a Filipino truck driver was set free a day after Manila withdrew its troops in response to demands from a group who had threatened to behead him.

Aljazeera + Agencies

http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/8FBB5E69-177D-4F90-949C-2F557EF2A413.htm

23.07.2004
Bellaciao Collective