Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit said Thursday all Egyptians hoped for the immediate release of Ihab el-Sharif, the abducted Egyptian top envoy to Iraq.

Abul Gheit was quoted by the official MENA news agency as saying that el-Sharif was sent to Iraq last month to serve Iraqis and work on deepening Egyptian-Iraqi ties.

The Egyptian diplomat was sent to the war-torn country as a sign of Egypt's efforts in support of the Iraqi people, he added.

The Egyptian Foreign Ministry was reported to have been keeping constant contacts with the Iraqi government and all Iraqi powers to seek release of el-Sharif.

The ministry has formed an emergency team to follow up the situation, an Egyptian diplomatic source was quoted as saying.

El-Sharif was kidnapped by a group of gunmen on Saturday near the Egyptian consulate in al-Rabie Street in western Baghdad.

Al-Qaida Organization for Holy War in Iraq, led by the most wanted man in Iraq Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, claimed responsibility on Tuesday for el-Sharif's adduction.

The al-Qaida's wing in Iraq said in a statement posted on the Internet on Wednesday that it will kill el-Sharif for being an apostate.

Last month, Egypt became the first Arab country to respond to a US call for upgrading diplomatic missions in Baghdad to ambassadorial level.

Up to 49 countries have now different grades of diplomatic representations in Iraq, including 18 Arab and Muslim countries, according to the Iraqi Foreign Ministry.

Source: Xinhua