Iraq's hostage crisis escalated with the seizure of a state company director and the apparent abduction of two Pakistanis, as Egyptian and Iraqi officials sought the release of a kidnapped Egyptian diplomat and a truck driver. The caretaker government in Baghdad said it was working closely with the Egyptians to free the diplomat, who was seized on Friday, two days after the trucker. "The government is working hard to get the release of the hostages. It is in constant contact with the Egyptian embassy," Deputy Foreign Minister Hamid al-Bayati told a press conference. "The government has had several meetings today to discuss the crisis."
At the same time, Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi, on a visit to neighboring Syria, cautioned Egypt not to cave in to the kidnappers' demands, urging it not to follow the example of Manila, which withdrew troops from Iraq in exchange for the freedom of a Filipino hostage. "There is no way to give to terrorists what they want. It was regrettable that the Philippines (did so)," said Allawi. "We hope that the hostage is going to be released. The Iraqi government will do its best."
Allawi also said after meeting with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad that Iraq and Syria had set up a joint committee to oversee the security of their common border. Allawi's Syrian counterpart Mohammad Naji Otri told a joint press conference, "Syria is opposed to any infiltration across the border, whether towards Iraq or towards Syria." |