# What is happening with Iraqi embassies in noncoalition nations? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 17, 2003, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-happening-with-iraqi-embassies-in-noncoalition-nations/169384 "2003-04-17T18:56:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2003, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-happening-with-iraqi-embassies-in-noncoalition-nations/169384/1 "2003-04-17T18:56:26Z")
The ones in Canada, France, Germany, and Russia, for example. Have those embassies now been closed? If not, what government do their ambassadors represent, and how does that work? If so, at what point were they closed, under what authority or precedent, and by whom? ---
**Author:** ![andymurph64](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a88e57/32.png) [@andymurph64](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andymurph64)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2003, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-happening-with-iraqi-embassies-in-noncoalition-nations/169384/2 "2003-04-17T19:26:56Z")
I imagine the landlord will find a new tenant when the rent isn’t paid… 😉 ---
**Author:** ![cainxinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7bcc69/32.png) [@cainxinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cainxinth)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2003, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-happening-with-iraqi-embassies-in-noncoalition-nations/169384/3 "2003-04-17T19:39:55Z")
The US has requested that they are all closed until new authorities are in power. So I assume they will all be converted to Halliburton offices and Starbucks cafes. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2003, 10:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-happening-with-iraqi-embassies-in-noncoalition-nations/169384/4 "2003-04-18T10:17:08Z")
Anyone? ---
**Author:** ![Andy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/aeb1de/32.png) [@Andy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2003, 10:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-happening-with-iraqi-embassies-in-noncoalition-nations/169384/5 "2003-04-18T10:40:31Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by andymurph64 \* > I imagine the landlord will find a new tenant when the rent isn’t paid… I know you were kidding and all, but I heard that this really _is_ a problem, such that diplomatic missions who fail to pay their rent (or more likely, fail to have their governments pay the rent) are difficult, if not impossible, to evict!! ---
**Author:** ![Ryan\_Liam](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ryan_liam/32/3965_2.png) [@Ryan\_Liam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ryan_Liam)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2003, 10:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-happening-with-iraqi-embassies-in-noncoalition-nations/169384/6 "2003-04-18T10:43:43Z")
They will either change duties to fit into the new power structure back home, or they will return to Iraq or go to jail 😉 ---
**Author:** ![jovan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/0ea827/32.png) [@jovan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jovan)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2003, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-happening-with-iraqi-embassies-in-noncoalition-nations/169384/7 "2003-04-18T12:56:41Z")
Oh, come one, people this is GQ! Canada: According to [this news story](http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1035781027133&call_pageid=968332188492&col=968705899037): > [@](#): > > The federal government says it won’t be asking Iraq’s only diplomat in Canada to leave the country any time soon, despite the fall of Saddam Hussein’s regime. > > Reynald Doiron, a spokesman for the Department of Foreign Affairs, said the government will leave Mamdouh Mustafa’s fate up to the new administration in Iraq. Strangely enough, I couldn’t find anything on France. Last week, a news story reported that large quantities of shredded paper were put out to garbage by the Iraqi embassy in Tokyo. That’s all I could find. ---
**Author:** ![paperbackwriter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/53a042/32.png) [@paperbackwriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/paperbackwriter)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2003, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-happening-with-iraqi-embassies-in-noncoalition-nations/169384/8 "2003-04-18T15:15:36Z")
Most of them seem to be hunkering down, shredding anything incriminating, and [waiting to welcome their new bosses with open arms](http://abcnews.go.com/wire/World/ap20030410_712.html): > [@](#): > > Stranded Without a Boss, Iraqi Diplomats Hole Up Worldwide as Baghdad Government Falls The ambassador to the UN had the most [abrupt and well-publicized about-face](http://www.sanmateocountytimes.com/Stories/0,1413,87~11268~1321584,00.html): > [@](#): > > With the fall of Baghdad on Wednesday, however, Al-Douri declared the game is over and acknowledged he had no relationship with Saddam Hussein. Other ambassadors and dimplomatic staffs are in various postures. > [@](#): > > “I haven’t had contact with Baghdad for two or three weeks,” Muaead Hussain, the Iraqi charge d’affaires in **Berlin** , said through the locked iron gate of his embassy Thursday. “I have no idea what’s going on there.” _ibid_ Some are doing some spring cleaning: > [@](#): > > Iraqi diplomats in Brazil carried box after box of papers out of their embassy and set them on fire. Then they denied police reports that documents were being destroyed. “It’s all lies,” said Brazilian embassy official Abdu Saif. “We are only burning debris and recently cut tree branches.” > In Tokyo, Iraqi diplomats hauled garbage bags stuffed with shredded documents out of the embassy._ibid_ As far as the embassies in the other countries in the OP, the Moscow embassy is still [partially active](http://news.sify.com/cgi-bin/sifynews/news/content/news_fullstory_v2.jsp?article_oid=13009594&page_no=1), mostly at denying reports of contact between Russian and Iraqi intelligence services: > [@](#): > > Russia’s intelligence agency has already rejected a British newspaper report that Moscow had provided Iraqi President Saddam Hussein’s regime with wide-ranging assistance in the run-up to the war on his country. > The Iraqi embassy in Moscow has refused to comment on the report. The Paris contingent of diplomats [is still there](http://www.arabnews.com/Article.asp?ID=25081): > [@](#): > > In Paris, an envoy at the Iraqi interests section at the Moroccan Embassy said he was “very very busy.” At what, he doesn’t say. The Iraqi representation Ottawa is only one person, and the Canadian government [has no plans to force him out](http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/1050626256987_26/?hub=SpecialEvent3). > [@](#): > > Reynald Doiron, a spokesman for the Department of Foreign Affairs, said the government will leave Mamdouh Mustafa’s fate up to the new administration in Iraq. I think that’s everyone you asked about.