Update 9/7/2005 Cairo mourns murdered diplomat A deep sense of shock has fallen over Egypt at news of the murder of its chief diplomat to Baghdad, reports Dina Ezzat Overwhelmed with shock at the killing of Ehab El-Sherif, head of the Egyptian diplomatic mission in Baghdad, at the hands of Al-Qaeda in Iraq, Cairo is considering long and short-term measures to secure its staff in the Iraqi capital. Iraqi and Egyptian sources say the 11-member staff of the Egyptian mission in Baghdad might have to be pulled out of Iraq "for now". Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul-Gheit ordered a reduction in the size of the staff of the mission but insisted that Egypt would keep its embassy, with "the Egyptian flag on it". Iraqi diplomats in Cairo expressed empathy with Egypt's anger and alarm in the wake of the killing of its chief diplomat in Baghdad. They added that they hope that this "crime" does not dissuade Egypt from assuming what they qualified as a leading role in cementing Iraqi ties with Arab neighbours. Iraq's Al-Qaeda group, led by Jordanian Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi, announced Sherif's death yesterday in an online statement: "We, Al-Qaeda in Iraq, announce that the judgment of God has been implemented against the ambassador of the infidels ... Oh enemy of God, Ehab El-Sherif, this is your punishment in this life." Several Arab capitals, and others around the world including Washington, acknowledged the death of Sherif and expressed shock and dismay. Egyptian Foreign Ministry officials say Egypt received news of the killing "through many sources" but had not received decisive evidence and did not know where Sherif's body might be. The Egyptian presidency issued a statement to lament the murder of Sherif, saying that the diplomatic envoy "lost his life at the hands of terrorism which trades in Islam". It added that he is a "martyr" of duty. Egypt's Permanent Representative to the UN, Maguid Abdel-Fattah, said that he asked UN Security Council to meet and discuss the repercussions of the killing of Sherif, suggesting that measures should be taken to secure the safety of other foreign diplomats working in Iraq. Fattah is seeking a presidential decree to be issued by the Security Council condemning the killing of Sherif. Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa condemned the killing of Sherif while underlining that "when all is said and done the Arab world should not give up on Iraqóan important Arab state." Iraq urged fellow Arab and Muslim states on Friday to send ambassadors to Baghdad in defiance of Al-Qaeda insurgents who killed Egypt's kidnapped envoy and have threatened other diplomats. "The criminals wanted by this act to terrorise Arab and Islamic countries and deter them from upgrading their diplomatic missions in Iraq," Iraq's Foreign Ministry said. "Arab and Islamic countries are asked to prove their seriousness in combating terrorism and send their ambassadors to Baghdad so they send the right message to the terrorists," Ministry sources added. Meanwhile, the heads of the Pakistani and Bahraini diplomatic missions in Baghdad were ambushed Thursday afternoon, hours before the killing of Sherif was announced. Iraq's president Jalal Talalbani promised top security for diplomats and Interior Minister Bayan Jabor said Iraqi armed escorts were always available in the interest of the safety of all foreign diplomats working in Iraq. Talabani sent a letter of condolences to President Mubarak. Jabor said that Iraqi police were hunting the killers of the Egyptian envoy. On Saturday, Foreign Minister Abul-Gheit called in the Iraqi charge d'affaires in Cairo and asked for detailed reporting on the outcome of the police investigations. Sherif was abducted from an otherwise heavily fortified Baghdad neighbourhood Saturday night. On Thursday, Zarqawi's Al-Qaeda group claimed responsibility for the kidnap. Sherif arrived to the Iraqi capital a few weeks ago. Before taking his mission in Baghdad, Sherif had served as deputy foreign minister for Al-Mashraq affairs, a post he occupied for two years. Before that he had served as charge d'affaires in Israel. Following his arrival in Baghdad, Sherif attempted to maintain a low profile to better facilitate his mission of building bridges with all Iraqi groups. However, last month Iraq's Foreign Minister Houchiar Zibari and former Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi told reporters in Brussels and Cairo respectively that Sherif would be upgrading his diplomatic mission in Baghdad to the level of an embassy. Egyptian diplomatic sources at the time denied the intention of Cairo to pursue an upgrade. Sherif, an ambassador by rank, was instructed that the status of his diplomatic representation in Iraq would remain unchanged. The news of the killing of Sherif forced several Arab capitals to reconsider plans of expanding or upgrading diplomatic missions in the Iraqi capital. Arab diplomatic sources in Cairo say that by killing Sherif, Zarqawi has made it clear to all Arab states that the price will be high if they seek to establish higher diplomatic representation with the current Iraqi government. Egyptian intellectuals and media on Friday morning lamented the death of Sherif at the hands of his kidnappers. Some argued that this should prompt Egypt to reconsider its plans on relations with the Iraqi government, while others argued that Egypt should not be deterred by such a "heinous crime". Thursday night Abul-Gheit promptly visited the family of Sherif to express condolences for the death of "a fine diplomat who took all risks to serve the interests of the Iraqi and Egyptian people." Sherif's wife and two daughters are reportedly in a terrible state of shock. Friends of the family added that the Sherif's wife and daughters left their home in Nasr City, an east suburb of Cairo, to escape unwanted media attention. Sherif's 90-year old father is in a state of disbelief over the death of his 50-year old son.
