Iraq's interim prime minister has urged Egypt not to give in to the demands of insurgents holding an Egyptian diplomat hostage.
Iyad Allawi says the only way to defeat terrorists is to close ranks against them. He spoke in Damascus where he met with President Bashar al-Assad to discuss securing their common border.
Egypt has urged insurgents in Iraq to show mercy to the diplomat and an Egyptian truck driver kidnapped by another group along with three Kenyans and three Indians.
In the latest kidnapping, insurgents snatched the director of Iraq's state-owned construction company as he drove through Baghdad Saturday.
Meanwhile, Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari met Saturday in Moscow with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov. Mr. Lavrov says his country does not plan to send peacekeepers to Iraq but is considering political and economic assistance.
Information for this report is provided by AP and AFP.