- France and Germany today recommended that their citizens
should leave Iraq, and a Russian contractor pulled its entire workforce
from the country, following a string of foreign kidnappings.
-
- Although a ceasefire between the US-led coalition and
Sunni and Shia fighters today appeared to be holding, the French and German
foreign ministries cited the deteriorating security situation, and in particular
the coalition's failure to protect overseas contractors, in urgent travel
warnings.
-
- French Foreign Ministry spokesman Herve Ladsous was today
reported by the Associated Press as saying that the kidnapping of foreigners
was "totally unacceptable".
-
- "We formally recommend that French citizens there
leave Iraq, and that those people who envisage going there delay their
trips," he added. Mr Ladsous said that there were less than 100 French
citizens currently in Iraq, most of them in the capital, Baghdad.
-
- According to radio station Deutsche Welle, the German
foreign ministry issued a warning for its citizens to leave Iraq and neighbouring
Kuwait "in the face of developments in the region". Meanwhile,
German aid organisations have completed their withdrawal from the country.
-
- Tekhpromexport, Russia's biggest contractor in Iraq,
outlined similar concerns as it announced the withdrawal of its 370-workforce.
-
- The state-owned company, which employs most of the 500
Russian nationals working to rebuild the country, was building a power
station around 60km (37 miles) outside Baghdad.
-
- "The decision about the evacuation of Tekhpromexport's
workers was taken yesterday morning," a statement quoted the company's
head, Sergei Molozhavy, as saying.
-
- "The question of the security of our personnel is
the prime duty of Tekhpromexport's management. Even before our specialists
were sent there, they studied the political situation in the country. On
the basis of this information, they drew up an [evacuation] plan."
-
- The company's move came shortly after eight civilian
contractors from another Russian firm, Interenergoservis, were released
by insurgents who had last night abducted them at gunpoint in Baghdad.
-
- The Interfax news agency said that the release had been
confirmed by Russian embassy sources in Baghdad. Three of the workers were
Russians, and the other five were Ukrainian nationals.
-
- Alexander Abramov, the general director of Interenergoservis,
said: "My financial manager called me from Iraq to say that the eight
hostages have been freed and are now at home."
-
- Today's developments could mark the beginning of a worrying
trend for the US-led coalition, which is relying heavily on foreign companies
to rebuild Iraq's shattered infrastructure.
-
- During the last week, more than 40 foreigners have been
taken hostage by insurgents. According to reports, those still being held
today included three Japanese citizens - a journalist and two aid workers
- whose captors had initially threatened to burn them alive unless Japan
withdraws its 550 troops from Iraq.
-
- There are also fears over the safety of four Italian
private security guards who went missing on Friday. Al-Jazeera television
today reported that four Italians had been kidnapped by an Islamist group
calling itself the Green Brigade of the Prophet.
-
- The kidnappers have demanded that Italy, which has around
3,000 soldiers in Iraq, withdraws its forces from the country.
-
- Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited
2004 http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,1191030,00.html
|
