Abul-Gheit: Killers did not give Egypt a chance to negotiate with insurgents

In an interview with the Egyptian Television program "New Morning," Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul-Gheit denied claims by Iraqi officials that Ihab el-Sherif had made contacts with armed Iraqi groups. He said he who claims that must submit evidence.

He denied that Egypt had upgraded its diplomatic representation in Iraq, adding that el-Sherif was a chief of the diplomatic mission in Baghdad with the rank of ambassador and was not an ambassador of Egypt to Iraq.

Abul-Gheit dismissed claims by some quarters that el-Sherif's previous service in Israel was behind his assassination, he said that former Charge D' Affairs in Iraq Farouq Mabrouk and Mamdouh Qotb served in Israel for four and three years respectively and were not targeted.

The Foreign Minister disclosed that el-Sherif's killers did not give the Egyptian Foreign Ministry time to negotiate his release and made no demands.

Abul-Gheit called on the Iraqi government and the US troops to act for finding el-Sherif's body and hand it over to Egypt as soon as possible.