This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/middle_east/7002164.stm

The article has changed 8 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 2 Version 3
US diplomats grounded in Iraq row US diplomats grounded in Iraq row
(about 2 hours later)
The US has suspended all road journeys by its diplomats in Iraq outside Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone.The US has suspended all road journeys by its diplomats in Iraq outside Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone.
This follows an incident in which at least eight Iraqis died when security guards from the US firm Blackwater opened fire in a busy Baghdad square. This follows an incident in which 11 Iraqi civilians died when security guards from the US firm Blackwater opened fire in a busy Baghdad square.
Blackwater has a contract to guard all US State Department employees in Iraq.Blackwater has a contract to guard all US State Department employees in Iraq.
The company has had all its operations in the country suspended by the Iraqi government. Blackwater has said its guards acted only in self-defence.The company has had all its operations in the country suspended by the Iraqi government. Blackwater has said its guards acted only in self-defence.
The Iraqi interior ministry has claimed the men fired randomly at civilians in a crowded square in the capital in Sunday's incident, killing innocent bystanders and a policeman. The Iraqi interior ministry has claimed the men fired randomly at civilians in a crowded square in the capital in Sunday's incident, killing 10 innocent bystanders and a policeman.
On Tuesday, the US Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, telephoned Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki to express her regret over the deaths and pledge to help carry out a "fair and transparent" investigation into the incident.
'Increased threat'
In a statement sent to US citizens in Iraq on Wednesday, the US embassy said it had suspended all road journeys by its diplomats throughout the country in order to conduct a safety review.In a statement sent to US citizens in Iraq on Wednesday, the US embassy said it had suspended all road journeys by its diplomats throughout the country in order to conduct a safety review.
"This suspension is in effect in order to assess mission security and procedures, as well as a possible increased threat to personnel travelling with security details outside the International Zone [Green Zone]," it said. In light of a serious security incident involving a US embassy protective detail... the embassy has suspended official US government civilian ground movements outside the [Green Zone] US embassy in Baghdad class="" href="/1/hi/world/americas/7000645.stm">Profile: Blackwater USA
The BBC's Hugh Sykes in Baghdad says it will now be very difficult for US diplomats to conduct their normal business, not least because the Iraqi foreign ministry is based outside the Green Zone. "This suspension is in effect in order to assess mission security and procedures, as well as a possible increased threat to personnel travelling with security details outside the [Green Zone]," it said.
The BBC's Hugh Sykes in Baghdad says the State Department will also have taken into account the increased danger for Blackwater employees if they continue to operate in Iraq.
Last week, the US ambassador to Iraq, Ryan Crocker, spoke of the importance of private security contractors in Iraq and our correspondent says it will now be very difficult for some US diplomats to conduct their normal business.
The ban is expected mainly to affect those State Department personnel involved in reconstruction projects, but it may also restrict contact with the Iraqi foreign ministry, which is based outside the Green Zone.
'Safest place in Iraq'
Baghdad's Green Zone - officially the International Zone - is a heavily fortified area of closed-off streets in central Baghdad where most Iraqi government offices and the US embassy are located.
This area of about 10 sq km is supposed to be the most secure place in the country, although it has still been a frequent target of insurgent attacks.
Its land-based perimeter is surrounded by concrete blast walls - designed to stop suicide bombers penetrating the nerve centres of official power. The River Tigris acts as a natural defensive barrier along its remaining circumference.
Iraqis often see it as a US-controlled bubble squatting inconveniently in the middle of Baghdad, disrupting life for those on the outside and cushioning those inside from the everyday realities of life in Iraq.