Russia's foreign ministry earlier Monday confirmed the death of four embassy employees taken hostage in Baghdad four weeks ago. Video footage of the killings appeared on an al Qaeda-affiliated group's website Sunday.
Konstantin Kosachev, who heads the Russian delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, the continent's main human rights watchdog, said the fight against global terrorism should transcend both national and political borders.
"It is necessary to reconsider the format for cooperation in the fight against international terrorism," Kosachev said. "This [latest] tragedy is yet another proof there is no human face to terrorism, and that the only way to treat terrorists is to suppress them."
He denounced the diplomats' murder as a barbaric crime, but said it could not be blamed on the Russian government, whose policies in Iraq are aimed at ensuring Russian nationals' protection and security.
