Full Focus

A man rows a boat near a house built on a rock on the river Drina near the western Serbian town of Bajina Basta, about 160km (99 miles) from the capital Belgrade May 22, 2013. The house was built in 1968 by a group of young men who decided that the rock on the river was an ideal place for a tiny shelter, according to the house's co-owner, who was among those involved in its construction. REUTERS/Marko Djurica

Editor's choice

Our top photos from the past week.   Slideshow 

Pictures

Photo

Reuters Photojournalism

Our day's top images, in-depth photo essays and offbeat slices of life. See the best of Reuters photography.  See more | Photo caption 

Photo

Devastated by Tornado

A huge tornado tears through an Oklahoma City suburb.  Slideshow 

Photo

Message of humility

A religious fraternity in Rio considers the election of Pope Francis, a confirmation of their beliefs in poverty and simplicity.  Slideshow 

Sponsored Links

Cyprus apologizes to Egypt over envoy's footwear row

NICOSIA | Wed Jan 2, 2013 9:51am EST

NICOSIA (Reuters) - Cyprus apologized to the Egyptian ambassador on Wednesday after a fracas with police over security screening of her footwear at the island's main airport.

Egyptian ambassador Menha Mahrous Bakhoum was involved in an argument with police when she was asked to undergo security checks to enter a departure terminal on December 29, where she was seeing off members of her family.

Cypriot media reported the ambassador agreed to undergo security screening but objected to removing her boots. In a heated debate that followed, media reported, a police officer was slapped and the ambassador was manhandled by police.

An apology released by Cyprus on Wednesday lauded its "brotherly relations" with Egypt. Cyprus shares a common sea border with Egypt in an area thought to be rich in oil and gas.

"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs publicly and sincerely expresses its regret and apologizes over the treatment of the Ambassador," Cypriot Foreign Minister Erato Kozakou Markoullis said in a written statement.

Treatment of the ambassador was not consistent with the ambassador's individual rights or her diplomatic status, the minister said.

(Writing By Michele Kambas, edited by Richard Meares)
World
Oddly Enough
Egypt
We welcome comments that advance the story through relevant opinion, anecdotes, links and data. If you see a comment that you believe is irrelevant or inappropriate, you can flag it to our editors by using the report abuse links. Views expressed in the comments do not represent those of Reuters. For more information on our comment policy, see http://blogs.reuters.com/fulldisclosure/2010/09/27/toward-a-more-thoughtful-conversation-on-stories/
Comments (2)
sidevalve56 wrote:
Welcome to our world ms. bakhoum…I’m sure the 30 seconds it would have taken her to take off her shoes wasn’t worth all the time and disruption she caused…no appologies are owed to that person.

Jan 02, 2013 8:58am EST  --  Report as abuse
garyjay wrote:
The usual incompetence shown by the ROC authoritarian officials who have no idea how to treat dignitaries and diplomats. The disrespect shown to non Greek citizens is also appalling.

Jan 02, 2013 12:56pm EST  --  Report as abuse
This discussion is now closed. We welcome comments on our articles for a limited period after their publication.
See All Comments »