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| Iraq-Jordan |
| Al Q threatens to whack Egyptian envoy |
| 2005-07-07 |
| BAGHDAD - Kidnappers linked to Al Qaedaâs branch in Iraq threatened to kill Egyptâs top envoy here, as Iraqâs prime minister called on other countries to stay the course and keep their diplomats in Baghdad. But with three attacks on diplomats in four days, at least some Arab and Muslim governments were raising questions Wednesday about security as a condition for upgrading ties to the new Iraqi government, as the United States wants. The threat to kill Ihab al-Sherif, seized by gunmen in western Baghdad on Saturday, marks a dramatic escalation in a campaign to isolate Iraq diplomatically in the Arab and Muslim worlds. On Tuesday, gunmen fired on senior envoys from Bahrain and Pakistan in apparent kidnap attempts. âTerrorism is trying to strike not only against Iraqis,â Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari told reporters after meeting with Sen. Carl Levin, ranking Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and a critic of US policy in Iraq. âWe hope that all countries of the world will stand by us, strengthen the democratic work and carry out political functions, keeping in mind the security regulations,â al-Jaafari said. The threat on al-Sherifâs life came in a statement on a Web site linked to Al Qaeda. The statement condemned Egypt for allying itself with âJews and Christiansâ - in other words, it linked the kidnapping to Egyptâs announcement last month that it would be the first Arab government to upgrade its mission here to a full embassy headed by an ambassador. Egyptian officials say no ambassador has been designated although al-Sherif was posted here a few weeks before the announcement. More than a dozen Arab nations have diplomatic missions in Baghdad, but none has a full ambassador - in part because of security fears and in part because governments are hesitant to take a step that could be seen as condoning the US military presence in Iraq. In the Web statement, the kidnappers said Al Qaeda in Iraqâs religious court had decided to hand over al-Sherif, 51, to its fighters âto carry out the punishment of apostasy against him.â The Web statement was titled, âThe sharp (sword) against the ambassador of infidels.â Pictures posted on the site showed the front and back of five ID cards in al-Sherifâs name. His Egyptian driverâs license and a Foreign Ministry card showed his photograph. The material appeared on the same site as an audiotape in which a speaker purported to be Al Zarqawi said Iraqâs security forces were as great an enemy as the Americans. Without mentioning Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak by name, the statement denounced âthat idol of Egyptâ for allegedly promoting US interests in the Middle East and for allegedly torturing Muslims. âHis most recent work to support disbelief (in God) was his initiative to accept the Shiite government of apostasy in Iraq by sending an ambassador to represent Egypt in Iraq,â the statement said. âThis was upon the suggestion of US Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice.â In Cairo, a senior Foreign Ministry official said the Egyptian government was âin continuous contactâ with the Iraqi government âand all other forces of the Iraqi societyâ in an effort to win al-Sherifâs release. On Wednesday, a prominent Sunni Arab member of parliament and critic of the US role here urged Al Qaeda to withdraw its threat to kill the Egyptian. Mishaan al-Jubouri said al-Sherif and other Arab diplomats can be useful in urging their governments to promote human rights here. However, a spokesman for a hardline Sunni clerical association blamed the Americans for pushing the Arabs to increase their diplomatic representation too soon. âThe issue started by mistakes committed by the occupation force when it pressured many countries, including Arab countries ... to send their envoys to Iraq,â Muthana Harith al-Dhari of the Association of Muslim Scholars said on Al-Jazeera television. âThe interim government adopted this issue without providing the minimal security measures. It cannot protect itself, so what about the ambassadors?â |
| Posted by:Steve White |
| #3 Lol, Sea - don't tell them Allan's been MIA for 1400 yrs. |
| Posted by: .com 2005-07-07 00:22 |
| #2 Allan helps those who can't help themselves. |
| Posted by: Seafarious 2005-07-07 00:19 |
| #1 I love that last paragraph. The transference of blame from the Sunnis who do the killing and / or support the killers to the occupation forces because envoys are arriving before the Sunnis have pulled their heads out of their asses and realized the train has already left the station. Classic Arab "logic". Sunnis. Too stupid for words, too arrogant to grab a clue that they aren't running the show, too barbaric to live among others, obviously destined for oblivion. |
| Posted by: .com 2005-07-07 00:11 |