In a statement, the United States condemns the attack on the Swedish embassy in Baghdad and states in sharp terms that Iraqi security forces did not do much to defend the embassy.
– It is unacceptable that the Iraqi security forces did not act to prevent the protesters from breaking into the grounds of the Swedish embassy, for a second time, and destroying it there, says US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller, reports the AFP news agency.
The Swedish embassy in Baghdad was also attacked in June.
Miller emphasizes in the statement that freedom of demonstration is a fundamental part of democracy.
– But what happened last night was a criminal act of violence, he continues and adds that foreign embassies should not be the target of violence.
Matthew Miller also calls on Iraq to live up to its commitments to comply with international law to protect foreign diplomats in the country.
The EU also expresses criticism that the Swedish embassy was not protected during the attack.
In a statement, the EU condemns the attack on the embassy and “calls for the protection of diplomatic premises in Baghdad, in line with the Vienna Convention”.
“We look forward to the Iraqi authorities urgently taking the necessary security measures to prevent further incidents, as well as to hold the perpetrators behind this attack accountable,” the EU’s statement reads.
At the same time, the Union expresses a hope for a quick return to normality in relations between Iraq and Sweden.