The U.S. Embassy in Stockholm alerts American citizens

[joeblow]

http://www.usemb.se/consulate/warden.html

Warden Message


The U.S. Embassy in Stockholm alerts American citizens residing in and traveling to Sweden that the Iraq Compact Annual Review Conference will take place in Stockholm from May 28 to 30, 2008. According to the official website (www.icistockholm.se), the conference is an intergovernmental conference at the ministerial level. Invitations to all Member States of the UN have been issued by Iraq and the UN. A number of international and regional intergovernmental organizations have also been invited. During this period, expect some street closures and traffic restrictions around major hotels.

At least one political demonstration will take place on May 29 in downtown Stockholm. Police estimate about 1500 people will participate in a demonstration at Sergels Torg at 1800 hours. Demonstrations in Stockholm may sometimes cause serious disruptions to traffic patterns in the city. Although police do not anticipate any problems, they will be in attendance to deal with any unforeseen disturbances. As a reminder, even demonstrations intended to be peaceful can turn confrontational and possibly escalate into violence. American citizens are therefore urged to avoid the areas of demonstrations if possible, and to exercise caution if within the vicinity of any demonstrations.

For the latest security information, Americans should regularly monitor the Department