MOSCOW. April 8 (Interfax-AVN) - The Russian authorities have requested the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to assist in the evacuation of a wounded Russian embassy worker from Iraq.
"We have received this request, and Red Cross workers in Iraq, Syria and Jordan are currently studying all possible options for evacuating the Russian diplomat," the press service of the ICRC in Moscow told Interfax on Tuesday.
Two workers from the Russian Embassy in Iraq, one of whom was seriously wounded in an attack on a Russian diplomatic convoy on Sunday, are currently in the Iraqi city of Al Fallujah, 30 kilometers from Baghdad.
"So far we cannot promise to secure the evacuation of the wounded embassy worker, because the area surrounding Al Fallujah is seeing intense combat action, and ICRC members do not have access to the area," the press service said.
The Red Cross spokesman said that, according to his information, Russian authorities have also appealed for help to Jordan and the local office of the Red Crescent organization.
Asked about cooperation with American military forces to facilitate the evacuation of the Russian diplomats, the ICRC member said, "As far as I know, there have been no such contacts so far."
Chairman of the Russian Federation Council international affairs committee Mikhail Margelov told the press after he had met with U.S. Ambassador to Russia Alexander Vershbow that the Russians might be evacuated with the assistance of the International Committee of the Red Cross via a corridor that the U.S. has pledged to organize.