Foreign Ministry follows Western lead and tells its citizens to leave Iraq

The Polish Foreign Ministry has asked all Polish citizens in Iraq and Kuwait to immediately leave the two countries. According to the official document the call to evacuate was made after geopolitical tensions increased, which might put the safety of people in danger. Jaroslaw Drozd from the Ministry's Information Department stated that the personnel of the embassy in Baghdad are obliged to remain behind. He has stressed that they will leave if the diplomatic mediation is halted. He also said that the Ministry is in c onstant contact with Poles in Iraq. According to official information the number of Polish citizens in the country is estimated at around 20, ex cluding journalists. (Rzeczpospolita, p. 1; www.polskieradio.pl) M.M.