Peking: The Iraqi ambassador, his wife hide with their weapons in the embassy

The implications of the war in Iraq had a new development in Peking where the ambassador is in an armed confrontation with his employees, while the Chinese police stand not far prepared for fighting.

Diplomatic sources last week said that the Iraqi ambassador to Peking Muwafaq al-Ani is resisting instructions to be summoned to Baghdad. He called for protection from the Chinese police, persisting that the embassy employees are armed and are trying to intimidate him.

However, the second ranking person at the embassy who is in charge of the post of the ambassador since June said yesterday that al-Ani and his wife ( both of them are armed) refuse to evacuate the headquarters of the ambassador and his offices and threaten the employees and their families. He added that "the former ambassador who was fired by the Iraqi foreign ministry, refused to evacuate."

The diplomats said that al-Ani who submitted his credentials to the Chinese government in January refused instructions issued by the post Iraq war authorities to return to Iraq by mid June.