British embassy reopens

20 February 2004
The British Embassy in Damascus reopened on 19 February after being closed for nine days. In a statement, officials said the embassy was closed on 10 February because of 'misleading media reports regarding the embassy'. The UK's Foreign Office said on 18 February that the embassy had closed to the public for security reasons.

Syrian officials had earlier criticised the closure. 'Syrian authorities regard the British measure to be unnecessary, particularly in view of the Syrian Foreign Ministry's response to all reasonable and logical requirements that guarantee preserving the security of the embassy and its staffers,' a Syrian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman told the AFP news agency.

A MEED Subscription...

Subscribe or upgrade your current MEED.com package to support your strategic planning with the MENA region’s best source of business information. Proceed to our online shop below to find out more about the features in each package.