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Norway Expels Iranian Diplomat Over Asylum Row

   VOA News 03 March 2010

   Norway has expelled an Iranian diplomat in a dispute that comes a week
   after Iran ordered a Norwegian diplomat to leave Tehran.
   In  a  statement  Wednesday,  the  Norwegian  Foreign Ministry did not
   identify  the  diplomat,  but  characterized the expulsion as a strong
   reaction to a similar move by Tehran several weeks ago.
   The  dispute  erupted  last  month, when Oslo granted asylum to Iran's
   former  counsel-general,  Mohammed Reza Heydari.  The Iranian quit his
   post  in  January  to  protest  Iran's  deadly crackdown on opposition
   demonstrators in the Islamic republic a month earlier.
   Heydari  went into hiding immediately after his resignation, saying he
   feared for his life.

   Some information for this report was provided by AFP and Reuters.

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