Denmark reopens Syria mission after cartoon protests

COPENHAGEN - Denmark today reopened its embassy in Syria more than two months after it was set ablaze by demonstrators protesting the publishing of cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad.

The Danish foreign ministry said the Damascus mission was now open to the public but cautioned Danes in Syria to be vigilant as the cartoon row could still induce negative reactions in the country.

"Recently, there have been several instances of verbal threats against Danes and other Westerners," it said in a statement on its website.

On February 4, several thousand Syrian demonstrators set the Danish and the Norwegian embassies on fire in violent protest over 12 caricatures of the Prophet first published by Danish Daily Jylland-Posten in September.

The fire badly damaged the building that housed the Danish mission but no one was hurt as the embassy was closed.

The cartoons were later reprinted in other European papers and sparked violent protests worldwide by Muslims, many of whom believe it is blasphemous to depict the Prophet.

Last month, Denmark reopened its mission to Indonesia saying the security situation there had improved, but embassies in several other Muslim nations remain closed.

- REUTERS