Beijing, May 08: China said today its embassy in Baghdad was "severely damaged" during the Iraq war, but did not specify to what extent. "During this war, our embassy was badly looted and severely damaged. We have suffered great loss," foreign ministry spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue said, but did not specify whether it was bomb damage or from looting.
She said a team of three Chinese diplomats had assessed the damage this month. Asked whether the United States had made any offers to compensate China for the losses, Zhang suggested it was too soon to determine the extent of the losses.
"We have to wait for the final evaluation from the technical staff after their inspection on site," Zhang said. "As to what measures we will take, I think we still need a comprehensive technical evaluation before we can decide," he added. The group of diplomats led by Li Chen, an official at the Chinese embassy in Jordan, were in the Iraqi capital between May 2 and 5.
China, which opposed the war, began evacuating its embassy staff and Chinese reporters in Iraq on March 17. Several countries have either reestablished a diplomatic presence in Baghdad in recent days or indicated that they want to soon.
Bureau Report