Two Canadian embassies in the Middle East reopen; one stays closed
Posted September 16, 2012 8:26 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Two Canadian embassies in the Middle East are set to open again Monday after they were closed on Sunday over security concerns.
A spokesman for Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird says although the missions in Egypt and Libya are open, the embassy in Sudan will remain closed to ensure the safety of diplomatic staff.
Canada’s caution follows a wave of protests and violence over an anti-Muslim film that has swept across the Middle East and other Muslim countries in recent days.
The obscure, amateurish movie made in the U.S. is called “Innocence of Muslims” and depicts the Prophet Muhammad as a fraud, a womanizer and a pedophile.
On Saturday the U-S State Department ordered the departure of all family members and non-essential personnel on Saturday from posts in Sudan and Tunisia.
Canada indicated Saturday that its missions in Khartoum, Tripoli and Cairo would close for the day Sunday _ the embassy in Tunis normally is closed Sundays.
The Cairo embassy was also closed on Thursday because of angry protests at the nearby American embassy.
The Harper government also shuttered its embassy in Tehran and severed diplomatic ties with Iran earlier this month, in part because it said it was concerned about the safety of Canadian diplomats.
