DAMASCUS, Syria, Feb. 11 (UPI) -- The Danish ambassador to Syria and his staff have temporarily left the country in the aftermath of angrily disputed cartoons satirizing Mohammed.
Denmark's foreign ministry says Syrian leadership cannot guarantee their safety in Damascus, the BBC reported Saturday.
Danish consular interests will be handled by the German embassy in Damascus and its own office in Amman.
Relations between Denmark and Syria have been strained since crowds stormed the Danish embassy last weekend in protest over the cartoons.
Danish diplomats "have provisionally left Syria because Syrian authorities reduced their protection to an unacceptably low level", the foreign ministry statement said.
Last Saturday, hundreds of protesters in Damascus hurled stones at the Danish embassy before scaling it, amid chants of "God is great". They then moved on to attack the Norwegian embassy.
Copenhagen urged its nationals to leave Syria at once and, along with Oslo, condemned Syria for failing to stop the protests.
