European haven for Iraq envoys

national | miscellaneous | news report Friday March 21, 2003 16:33 by the ambassador

France, Russia and Germany are defying the United States by refusing to expel Iraqi diplomats. Other countries rejecting the US request include Finland, the Netherlands, and Malaysia.

European haven for Iraq envoys

France, Russia and Germany are defying the United States by refusing to expel Iraqi diplomats.
Other countries rejecting the US request include Finland, the Netherlands, and Malaysia.

The US said on Thursday that the diplomats represented a "corrupt and ruthless regime" and that replacements would soon be appointed by a new, legitimate Iraqi Government.

France, however, said the decision to expel diplomats was a matter of French sovereignty.

"At the moment there is no reason to respond positively," a government spokesman said.

A German foreign ministry spokesman also said there were "no current plans" to comply with the US request.

Russian refusal

The Russian Foreign Minister, Igor Ivanov, said no specific request from the US had been received, but added that it would be "devoid of legal force".

The three countries represented a European anti-war group in the United Nations Security Council in the run-up to the US-led attack on Iraq.

The US request was directed at 62 nations where Iraq has a diplomatic presence.

The State Department also asked these countries to freeze Iraqi assets so that the money could be used by a post-war government, and to try to prevent the destruction of documents in Iraqi embassies.

Russia said it would only freeze bank accounts if it could be proven they had been used for money-laundering or financing terrorism.

Malaysian Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar said on Friday that Malaysia could see no reason to break off ties with Baghdad.

He said there was no evidence that they had compromised the country's security.

No flights

The Netherlands, which supports the US-led coalition against Iraq, said Iraqi diplomats would be allowed to stay as long as they did not violate the terms under which they were posted in the country.

A foreign ministry spokesman said it was unclear how the diplomats could be expelled as flights from Amsterdam to Kuwait and Jordan had been cancelled.

The Finnish Foreign Ministry said there was "no question" of closing the embassy.

Finland and Germany both responded to an earlier US request to expel specific diplomats accused by the US of spying on Iraqi dissidents.

Three were due to leave Finland on Friday, among them the charge d'affaires, Ghazi Khudaer.

The Philippines Government said on Friday it was considering the latest US request.