(Bloomberg) -- Bahrain recalled its ambassador to Iraq after dozens of protesters stormed its embassy in Baghdad, tearing down the country's flag and replacing it with a Palestinian banner.
Ambassador Salah Ali Al Malki is returning to Bahrain for consultations, state-run BNA reported. The incident was a protest against a conference in Manama, Bahrain's capital, to promote peace between Israelis and Arabs, the Associated Press reported.
Bahrain's government condemned the attack and said the Iraqi government is responsible for protecting its embassy and consulate, according to a statement issued by the Bahraini foreign ministry.
Iraq's government expressed “deep regret” over the incident, adding that security forces have taken firm and immediate measures, according to al-Sumaria. Iraqi interior minister Yassin al-Yassiry told al-Sumaria that 54 people who stormed the embassy in Iraq's capital were arrested.
The United Arab Emirates “strongly condemned” the storming of the embassy and called it a “blatant violation of diplomatic norms and conventions,” according to a statement from the U.A.E.'s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation carried by state-run Emirates News Agency.
To contact the reporter on this story: Zaid Sabah in Washington at zalhamid@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Alaa Shahine at asalha@bloomberg.net, Colin Keatinge
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