Region | Iraq
Iraq government and people dismayed by abduction of diplomat
Kidnappers want to harm the relations between Abu Dhabi and Baghdad, but their aim will be defeated, says ministry official
- By Basil Adas, Correspondent
- Published: 00:00 May 26, 2006
Baghdad: The Iraqi government and people are dismayed by the abduction of UAE diplomat Naji Rashid Al Nuaimi.
"Kidnappers wanted to harm the relations between the UAE and Iraq, but their aim will be defeated and these relations will remain at their best," Lubaid Abawi, Undersecretary at the Iraqi Foreign Ministry, told Gulf News.
Abawi, who condemned the abduction, considered it as an attempt to punish the UAE, which chose to support and help all Iraqis without any discrimination.
Many religious and tribal leaders, led by the Muslim Scholars group, are working to secure the release of Al Nuaimi.
"The feelings of all Iraqis are with the UAE and its people, especially Al Nuaimi's family at this hard time," said Shaker Al Azawi, Managing Editor of Al Basaer Magazine.
He said the UAE's support to the Iraqis are unforgettable.
"Al Nuaimi's kind assistance to the needy Iraqis and the martyrs' families, and his keenness to deliver aid himself makes him an exceptional person, which means the abductors meant to stop this assistance, and we demand his swift release," said Nasser Al Aani, member of the Islamic Sunni Iraqi party.
Jalal Al Deen Al Sagheer, a leader of the Shiite Alliance, told Gulf News that abduction of Al Nuaimi "sends various political messages, which imply that dealing with terror must be a collective effort, since terrorism spares no one".
Hassan Shaban, head of the Civil Society Organisations for Democracy in Iraq, demanded that the kidnappers release Al Nuaimi immediately and without conditions, since the UAE was always the first to help the Iraqi people.
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