New kidnapping in Iraq

Unidentified gunmen kidnapped a senior official in the Iraqi ministry of the interior in al-Doura area to the south of Baghdad on Wednesday morning. Maj. Gen. Riyadh Kate' Elewi was kidnapped as he was heading to his office in the operations room at the ministry of the interior.

Also, the French foreign minister Michael Barnier said that his country is making utmost efforts to ensure the release of the French journalist Florence Obeina kidnapped in Iraq since January.

Meantime, the kidnappers of the Italian journalist Juliana Segrena in Iraq said they will release her during the few coming days after they are assured that she is not a spy.

On the other hand, the Polish defense minister said that his country intends to minimize the mission of its forces in Iraq so as to be limited to training the Iraqi forces. He added during a meeting with the US defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld at the headquarters of the Pentagon in Washington that the success of the Iraqi elections will accelerate the withdrawal of the multinational forces from Iraq.

Within the same context, El Salvador announced it will send a fourth contingent of 380 soldiers to Iraq to change the forces positioned there since 6 months in Babel to the south of Baghdad.