Egypt will downsize diplomatic mission in Iraq
Egypt-Iraq, Politics, 7/9/2005

Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul-Gheit said Friday the size of Egypt's diplomatic mission in Baghdad will be downsized.

At a press conference, the top diplomat said reducing the number of the Egyptian mission staff will take place at the current stage and for a certain time.

The step aims at protecting the lives of members of the mission, he said, adding that the Egyptian flag would continue to be hoisted over the embassy in Baghdad.

The Egyptian ambassador to the UN has been instructed to seek a UNSC resolution condemning the heinous crime of killing the Egyptian diplomat, he said.

The world community must realize the danger posed to the lives of diplomats in Baghdad and elsewhere and the need that diplomatic missions anywhere must be well cared for and protected.

Abul-Gheit said the Egyptian diplomatic representation in Iraq will continue to be at the level of a section looking after our interests.

He stressed that the biggest Arab country should have a diplomatic presence in any Arab country.

The Egyptian mission in Iraq defends the Iraqi people and their rights and Egyptian-Iraqi relations, Abul-Gheit said, noting that the assassination of Sherif will never weaken the Egyptian diplomacy in Iraq.

The groups carrying out these attacks want to weaken the presence of the Arab and foreign diplomats in Iraq.

Asked whether an Egyptian team should have had been sent to Iraq for negotiations with the abductors of the slain Egyptian diplomat, Abul-Gheit explained that it was impossible to contact the abductors because they had made no contacts with the Egyptian side.

Queried about the necessity to send a diplomat who had served in Tel Aviv, Abul-Gheit said Sherif was the deputy assistant foreign minister for Arab Mashreq (east) affairs and he had a complete knowledge of developments in Iraq.

Abul-Gheit unveiled that the dead ambassador was the one who had overseen the Sharm el-Sheikh conference on Iraq and coordinated the stances of the Egyptian delegation at all the conferences of Iraq's neighbors.

As for his former work in Israel, Egypt had tens of diplomats who served in Israel over the past 25 years. They will continue to serve Egyptian diplomacy and society, he added.

The late diplomat, according to several Palestinian figures, exerted strenuous efforts to serve the Palestinian cause, he stressed.

Replying to a question on whether time was ripe for more effective international efforts on terror-combat following the London bombings, Abul-Gheit said Egypt has called for holding an international conference on terror.

The international community is required to take a political, security and legal stand to combat such an ugly phenomenon, he added.

The top diplomat voiced confidence that the coming few months will witness a more speedy pace on terror-combat.

He noted that the interior ministers of Iraq's neighboring countries would meet in Istanbul on July 18 to discuss a flurry of security issues, including border security, weapons smuggling and terror-combat.

On Egypt's stance on resistance groups and those carrying out terrorist attacks, Abul-Gheit said that the groups that attack Arab and foreign diplomats or target Iraqi civilians with booby-trapped car bombings are undoubtedly terrorist groups.

He urged all parties to do their utmost effort to help achieve security and stability in Iraq, regain its sovereignty and withdraw all foreign forces from the Arab country as stipulated in UN Security Council resolution 1546.

Egypt is determined to help achieve these aspired-for goals in Iraq, he added.

The foreign minister added that the sad incident in Iraq and assassination of Egypt's Charge d'Affaires there would not weaken the Egyptian diplomacy.

Some reports by Arab news channels included wrong information on the killing of Sherif, he said, adding that such falsehood would be refuted and facts be highlighted to the public opinion soon.

Sherif was accompanied by seven of his Egyptian guards, and that is reason enough there is still much to be unveiled about the details of the crime, he said.

There is also a role that should have been played by the Iraqi security authorities, though we understand the difficult situation there, he said.

Abul-Gheit said that Sherif went to Iraq, carrying a message from him to his Iraqi counterpart, introducing him as head of mission tasked to beef up ties between the two countries, he said in his response to a question on Sherif's status in Iraq.

Egypt has several ambassadors serving as heads of mission in different parts of the world, he said, citing Somalia as an example.

Responding to a query in the concurrence of the US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's visit to Cairo and sending Sherif to Iraq, Abul-Gheit said the appointment of Sherif in Iraq was already approved two months before the visit of Rice to Egypt.

Egypt's objective in Iraq is to help the Iraqis overcome the difficult situation they were forced to face, he added.

Previous Stories:
  Egypt confirms the killing of its ambassador in Iraq   (7/8/2005)
  Zarqawi group reportedly killed Egyptian ambassador in Iraq   (7/7/2005)
  On the kidnapping of the top Egyptian official envoy in Iraq   (7/5/2005)

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