The Iraqi government sought to reassure diplomatic missions about their security in the country today (Saturday), emphasizing that it will not allow a recurrence of the Swedish embassy breach.
The Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated in a press release, “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs affirms its full commitment to the Vienna Convention for the regulation of diplomatic relations among countries, and reiterates to the resident diplomatic missions that the Iraqi government is responsible for providing protection and security for the diplomatic staff working in all missions”.
The Iraqi foreign ministry statement comes a day after hundreds of protesters stormed the Swedish embassy in Baghdad and set it ablaze in protest of plans to burn a copy of the Quran in Stockholm. It led to the expulsion of the Swedish ambassador. The foreign ministry added, “What the embassy of the Kingdom of Sweden in Baghdad was subjected to is an act that cannot be allowed to recur… any similar act will be subject to legal accountability”.
