Iraq assures foreign diplomatic missions of their security

Hundreds of protesters stormed the Swedish embassy in Baghdad, setting it on fire in protest against plans to burn a copy of the Koran in Stockholm

Thousands of people took to the streets in a handful of Muslim-majority countries to express their outrage at the desecration of a copy of the Koran in Sweden, a day after protesters stormed the country’s embassy in Iraq. The placard at left reads in Farsi: “Our red lines are the supreme leader and the Koran”. | Photo Credit: AP

The Iraqi Government sought to reassure diplomatic missions in the country of their security on July 21, saying it would not allow a recurrence of the storming of the Swedish embassy.

The statement from the Foreign Ministry came a day after hundreds of protesters stormed the Swedish embassy in Baghdad, setting it on fire in protest against plans to burn a copy of the Koran in Stockholm. Iraq also expelled the Swedish ambassador.

"The Iraqi Government is fully committed to the Vienna Convention that regulates diplomatic relations among countries and assures all resident diplomatic missions of their security and protection," the Ministry said.

"What happened to the Embassy of the Kingdom of Sweden in Baghdad cannot be repeated, and any similar act will be subject to legal accountability," it added.