MOSCOW, June 3 (RIA Novosti) - The Russian Foreign Ministry said it had established headquarters to release four diplomats kidnapped in Baghdad Saturday.
"As soon as the Russian Foreign Ministry was informed about the abduction of embassy officials in Iraq it immediately set up operative headquarters to coordinate actions being taken for the soonest possible release of the Russian men," the ministry said.
One Russian diplomat was killed and four others kidnapped as a group of unidentified gunmen attacked the embassy's vehicle in Baghdad's eastern Mansour district where the diplomatic mission is located.
"The Russian Foreign Ministry and our embassy in Baghdad are taking comprehensive measures including contacts with Iraqi authorities, commanders of multinational forces and other partners who can help release the Russian nationals as soon as possible," the ministry said.
Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Saltanov said the ministry was contacting "the Iraqi president, prime minister, relevant departments and political parties and commanders of coalition forces and making every efforts for the soonest possible release of the Russian diplomats."
The Russian embassy in Baghdad said earlier it had no information about the kidnappers and their possible demands.
The Saturday incident was not the first attack on Russian nationals in Iraq. Back in April 2004, three Russians and five Ukrainians were for a building company, Interenergoservice, were taken hostage and released the following day.
In early May 2004, one Russian employee of Interenergoservice was killed and two kidnapped. The hostages were released in a week. Some days later, two Russians died in an attack on a group of employees of this company.
