Iraq on Saturday reassured diplomatic missions in the country of their security, saying the government would not allow a recurrence of the storming of the Swedish embassy.
The Foreign Ministry statement came a day after hundreds of demonstrators stormed the Swedish embassy in Baghdad and started a fire in protest against plans to burn the Quran in Stockholm.
“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,” Reuters reported, quoting the ministry statement.
“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 said.
On Friday, the UAE summoned the Swedish charge d'affaires and handed her a note of protest against the repeated attacks and abuses on the Quran, state news agency Wam reported.
Liselott Andersson was informed of the UAE's strong condemnation of her country's government “allowing repeated attacks on copies of the Quran”.
The UAE condemned the decision of the Swedish government to continue to allow such acts to occur and said that Sweden has disregarded its international responsibilities and demonstrated a lack of respect for social values in this matter.
Iraq on Friday called for an Islamic summit to discuss the desecration, as Sweden temporarily moved its embassy in Iraq to Stockholm.
Ahmed Al Sahaf, a spokesman for the Iraqi Foreign Ministry, told The National on Friday that Minister Fuad Hussein had called for an emergency session of the Organisation of Islamic Co-operation.
“Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein is intensifying his efforts with our Arab and Islamic counterparts to hold the Islamic summit conference and have an emergency session at a ministerial level to discuss the repercussions of Islamophobia and the burning of the Quran,” Mr Al Sahaf said.
On Thursday, the Quran was desecrated in Stockholm for the second time in weeks, defying condemnation from Iraq where Sweden's ambassador was expelled in protest.
Iraq asked the ambassador to leave its territory and recalled its charge d’affaires from Stockholm as the stunt took place outside its mission in Sweden.
Salwan Momika kicked the Quran around on a patch of grass as police looked on, after they had granted him a permit to hold a gathering outside the Stockholm embassy.
The book was not set on fire.
Baghdad had said it was prepared to cut diplomatic ties with Sweden over the issue of desecrating holy books.
People took to the streets in Iran, Iraq and Lebanon on Friday in protest on Friday.
In Baghdad's Sadr City, demonstrators burnt the Swedish flag and chanted: “Yes, yes to the Quran, no, no to Israel.”
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Demonstrators gather outside the Swedish embassy in Tehran to protest against an insult to the Quran in Stockholm. Reuters -
A demonstrator holds up the Quran and a portrait of Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in a protest against Sweden in front of the Swedish embassy in Tehran. AP -
An egg is thrown by demonstrator at the Swedish embassy in Tehran during a protest against the desecration of the Quran in Sweden. AP -
In Tehran, Iranian students gather during a demonstration denouncing the burning of the Quran in Sweden. AFP -
An egg is thrown by demonstrator at the Swedish embassy in Tehran during a protest against the desecration of the Quran in Sweden. AP -
Iranian students outside the Swedish embassy in Tehran denounce the burning of the Quran in Sweden. AFP -
Protesters carrying Iraqi flags and images of Shiite cleric and political leader Moqtada Al Sadr gather in Baghdad's Tahrir Square to protest against the burning of a Quran outside the Iraqi embassy in Copenhagen, Denmark. AP -
Protesters chant slogans against Sweden in front of the embassy in Tehran, Iran. The Farsi placard on the left reads: "Our red lines are the supreme leader and the Quran". AP -
A Lebanese man takes part in a demonstration in Beirut called by Hezbollah to condemn the desecration of the Quran in Sweden. Reuters -
People march in Beirut after Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah called for protests outside mosques following Friday prayers. EPA -
The scene in Beirut as thousands of people took to the streets in Muslim-majority countries to protest. EPA -
A woman holds the Quran in Kufa, Iraq, in protest after an activist desecrated a copy of the holy book for a second time in Sweden. AFP -
A demonstrator holds up a portrait of Iraqi Shiite cleric Moqtada Al Sadr, in Kufa. AFP -
Shiite clerics attend a protest in Baghdad, after Iraq called for an Islamic summit to discuss the desecration of the Quran. EPA -
Protesters burn posters of the Swedish flag and rainbow Pride flags in Sadr City, Baghdad. AFP -
Iranian worshippers hold up the Quran in Tehran. The country's goverment condemned the desecration in Sweden. AP -
Demonstrators in the Iranian capital Tehran chanted: 'Down with the United States, Britain, Israel and Sweden'. Reuters -
Demonstrators in Tehran march with signs denouncing the US and Israel as they condemn the burning of the Quran. AFP
In Lebanon, thousands gathered at a protest called by the Iran-backed militia and political party Hezbollah, with demonstrators brandishing copies of the Quran and chanting: “With our blood, we protect the Quran.” Some also burnt Swedish flags.
Demonstrations in Tehran and other cities were aired on state television.
Qatar summoned Sweden's ambassador to hand him a protest note over the desecration of the Quran in Stockholm, the Foreign Ministry said.
It said it would demand Swedish authorities take “all the necessary measures to stop these shameful acts”.
Saudi Arabia on Thursday summoned the Swedish charge d'affaires in Riyadh and handed them a note of protest.
