Iran summons Swedish envoy over desecration of Holy Quran

BRUSSELS, July 20: The European Union Thursday "strongly condemned" the attack against the Swedish Embassy in Iraq and called for the protection of diplomatic premises in Baghdad, in line with the Vienna Convention.
"We look forward to the swift adoption of the necessary security measures by the Iraqi authorities to prevent further incidents and to hold the perpetrators of this attack accountable, as announced by the Iraqi Government," said EU High Representative Josep Borrell in a statement. "We hope for a swift return to normality in the relations between Iraq and Sweden," he added.

Meanwhile, The Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs called in Sweden Ambassador in Tehran in protest against the burning of a copy of the Holy Quran in Stockholm earlier Thursday. The Ministry conveyed Iran's strong denunciation of the recurrence of such despicable acts which offend more than two billion Muslims worldwide, including nearly half a million Muslims in Sweden.

"The freedom of expression can by no means justify transgressing the dignity and religious beliefs of others, notably the monotheists," the Ministry told the Swedish diplomat. The Swedish ambassador promised to convey Iran's stance to his government. The Swedish police had sanctioned another demonstration in front of Iraq Embassy in Stockholm where extremists burnt a copy of the Holy Quran, less than one month after a similar act outside a Stockholm mosque during Eid al-Adha. (KUNA)