Berlin called Tuesday on Germans in Iraq to leave the country as soon as possible following the release of the German aid worker and archaeologist Susanne Osthoff, DPA reported. While Germany's Central Council of Moslems said Osthoff, who was released Sunday after being taken hostage in Iraq should continue her work in Iraq, a spokesman for Germany's Foreign Office said he expected the 43-year-old to leave Iraq shortly. In the meantime, the Foreign Office reaffirmed its travel warning for the Iraq and called on the around 100 Germans currently living in the country to depart. A German foreign office minister, Gernot Erler told North German Radio (NDR) that those remaining in the country faced the constant threat of violent assault and the risk of kidnapping, which may not turn out as well as the Osthoff case.
