Top Egyptian envoy kidnapped in Baghdad

Egypt's top envoy to post-Saddam Hussein Iraq has been kidnapped in Baghdad just weeks after arriving in the country, Egyptian diplomats said last night.

Ihab al-Sherif was kidnapped yesterday after having arrived in Baghdad on June 1. In mid-June, the Egyptian Government said it would upgrade relations with Iraq to full embassy status, but it was not clear if he held the full ambassador title.