Russia evacuates its citizens from Iraq, one Iranian diplomat killed in Iraq
Iraq, Politics, 4/16/2004

News reports in Baghdad said that the three Japanese hostages who were kidnapped by a group calling itself ( Saraya al-Mujahideen) were released.

The kidnappers said they released the Japanese in response to the call by the Muslims scholars commission in Iraq. The reports quoted member of the Muslim Scholars commission, Abdul Salam al-Kubeisi, as saying that the three hostages are in a good health condition and they are the guests of the commission.

Member of Scholars commission in Iraq, Muthanna Hareth al-Dari, said that the commission did not carry out the role of mediation to release some of held foreigners. He explained that their role was limited to appeal the kidnappers who reached some of them in front of the commission's offices in Um al-Qura mosque.

Meantime, the Italian prime minister Selvio Berleskony said that the killing of one of the four Italian hostages held in Iraq on Wednesday will not affect Italy's values and its commitment to the establishment of peace there. He said in statements to the Italian TV that the kidnappers had murdered one persons but will not affect our values and commitment to peace.

As for the fate of the coalition forces in Iraq, the Spanish prime minister Jose Louis Thabateiro stressed his cling to withdraw the Spanish forces from Iraq unless it has an international cover.

He explained that the Spanish foreign policy will stem from a European vision and will enhance relations with Latin America and the Mediterranean states and will keep relations of friendship with the US in the context of international law. He also said he will visit Morocco very soon seeking more closeness and solving pending issues.

In another development, the Russian authorities announced that three "Elusion" planes belong to the Emergency Ministry in Russia took off from Moscow heading for Iraq to evacuate hundreds of Russians and citizens of the independent state league from Iraq.

For her part President of the Philippines, Gloria Oroio, said yesterday that Manila suspended dispatching additional soldiers to Iraq and is preparing to put plans to withstand the possibility of evacuating its civilian citizens from the country.

On the other hand, news reports in Baghdad said that one diplomat in the Iranian embassy in Baghdad was killed by the bullets of unidentified persons in Karaddah Mariam quarters.

News reports in Baghdad said that unidentified persons chased the car of the diplomat who is in the post of the first secretary in the embassy and opened their weapons at him near the former ministry of culture and information. The reports explained that the victim was hit by three bullets in the head and three in the shoulder and this resulted in his immediate death.

The reports continued that the Iraqi police and the embassy guards opened an investigation in the incident. The attack took place at a time when an Iranian delegation is visiting Iraq to mediate between the young Shiite leader Muqtada al-Sader and the occupation forces and the Iraqi sides.

The attack came, short time after the killing of three Iraqis were injured in an American bombardment of one ambulance in the "police " quarters in al-Falujja city when it was heading to aid several wounded yesterday at dawn.

One American armored vehicle was burnt yesterday on the highway to the west of Baghdad. Witnesses said that the destruction of the military vehicle came after it was shelled. Casualties of the incidents are still unknown.

The spokesman for the American forces in Iraq admitted the killing of two American soldiers in two separate attacks during the 24 past hours in al-Musil and Sameraa cities, to the north of Iraq. The spokesman gave no details on the implications of the attacks. In Baqouba, one Iraqi women was killed together with her two children while two other children were wounded as one missile fell on their house yesterday morning.

On al-Ramadi road to the west of Baghdad, three Jordanians were killed while heading from Jordan to Baghdad. The incident took place when their car was exposed to intensive fire at the fifth Km area at the western entrance of al-Ramadi. Witnesses said that the Jordanians were traders on their way to Baghdad.

Previous Stories:
  Iranian mediation delegation between Washington and al- Sader arrives in Iraq   (4/15/2004)
  Occupation agrees to change al-Mahdi army to a political organization, one Italian hostage is killed in Iraq   (4/15/2004)
  Al-Sader gives up his conditions; occupation enhances its forces in al-Najaf   (4/15/2004)
  Hurriyet: Russian Official highlights role in Iraq   (2/23/2004)
  Ivanov calls on the US, international community to settle conditions in Iraq   (9/6/2003)
  Russia, Indian FM s for settling conditions in Iraq   (9/6/2003)

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