Sudan to abandon Baghdad embassy (in exchange for hostages)

The Sudanese government has announced it is shutting its embassy in Baghdad, in an apparent bid to win the release of five kidnapped embassy staff.

It follows a web statement attributed to al-Qaeda in Iraq, in which the group said it had the hostages and demanded Sudan cut diplomatic ties with Baghdad.

A Sudanese foreign ministry spokesman said the embassy would close on Friday.

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The web statement from al-Qaeda in Iraq, posted on Thursday, set a 48-hour deadline for Sudan to announce it was severing ties with the Iraqi government and closing its embassy.

The al-Jazeera satellite channel later broadcast footage it said it had been sent by the kidnappers, showing five men identifying themselves as embassy staff.

Sudan confirmed a week ago that six of its nationals, including five embassy employees and a "friend", had been kidnapped after attending prayers at a Baghdad mosque.

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http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4570588.stm