Iraq has threatened to sever diplomatic relations with Sweden if the Koran were burned again. After the Swedish embassy in Baghdad was stormed, Stockholm condemned the attacks and summoned Iraqi diplomats.
When the Iraqi security forces finally cleared the area around the Swedish embassy in the morning, only a few demonstrators were still there. Most had left before sunrise. The last survivors fought here and there with the police.
Video footage from the AFP news agency shows smoke still rising over the Swedish embassy building in the morning. Some of the demonstrators hold up portraits of Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, a man of great influence in Iraq. Thousands of people followed his call to protest at the end of June after a man publicly burned a Koran in Stockholm.
fire in embassy building
Apparently outraged by the burning of the Koran announced for today in Stockholm, hundreds of people marched to the Swedish embassy last night. Some of them climbed over the barriers and set fire to the embassy building. Video footage shows black smoke billowing into the night sky.
One of the demonstrators told the AFP news agency that the Swedish and Iraqi governments should not allow the Koran to be burned. It would hurt the feelings of all Muslims.
Iraq threatens to sever diplomatic relations
The announced burning of the Koran also caused dissatisfaction with the Iraqi government. She therefore threatened Sweden with breaking off diplomatic relations. Prime Minister Mohammed al-Sudani’s office said after a crisis meeting that if another copy of the Koran were set on fire there, as it did in June, Iraq would sever relations with Sweden. The Swedish government was informed about this “through diplomatic channels,” the office said on Twitter.
In a telephone interview with Sky News Arabeyya, a spokesman for Iraq’s foreign ministry condemned the incident. In the interview, however, he also called on Sweden to take clear measures to prevent provocative acts such as the announced burning of the Koran.
According to the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, all employees of the embassy should be safe. In Stockholm, the attacks were strongly condemned and top Iraqi diplomats were summoned. The Iraqi authorities have a duty to protect diplomatic missions and their staff, according to an official statement from the Swedish foreign ministry.
Political expert sees complicity of the Iraqi government
Iraqi political scientist Maan al-Jubouri also shared the blame with the Iraqi government. “Even if such crowds are difficult to control, the security forces have to be on the alert,” the Iraqi expert told Sky News Arabeyya. But if such a situation arises, the Iraqi government is to blame.
The Iraqi Foreign Ministry announced an investigation into how the incident could have happened. Those involved should be identified and held accountable.