Sweden denounces burning of its embassy in Baghdad and calls on Iraq's Chargé d 'affaires

Sweden has announced that it has summoned the Iraqi Chargé d'Affaires in Stockholm following the burning of its embassy in Baghdad during a demonstration that took place early Thursday, protesting against a planned gathering in Sweden where the organizer intends to burn a copy of the Quran.

Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billström stated in a statement that "what happened is completely unacceptable, and the government condemns these attacks in the strongest terms."

He added, "The Iraqi authorities have a clear duty to protect diplomatic missions and their staff under the Vienna Convention."

The Swedish minister considered that "it is clear that the Iraqi authorities have seriously failed to fulfill their responsibilities" in protecting the Swedish embassy in Baghdad.

According to the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the staff of its embassy in Baghdad are "safe."

The embassy was burned during a demonstration organized by supporters of the Shiite leader Muqtada al-Sadr, protesting against a planned gathering in front of the Iraqi embassy in Stockholm, where the organizer intends to burn a copy of the Quran.

The gathering is scheduled to take place in front of the Iraqi embassy in Stockholm between 13:00 and 15:00 local time (11:00 and 13:00 GMT).

If a copy of the Quran is burned during the planned gathering, it will be the third of its kind in the Swedish capital since January.

The previous incidents sparked a series of condemnations in the Islamic world and calls for boycotting Swedish products.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

AFP