The Sudanese Foreign Minister Ali Karti received a telephone call from his British counterpart William Hague through which the British Minister conveyed his country’s concern for the safety of the British diplomats in Khartoum. He urged the Sudanese Foreign Ministry to exert more effort in order to protect them. In turn, Karti declared: “Protesters who marched last Friday in Khartoum in order to manifest against the film that offends the Holy Prophet, were heading to the German Embassy. However, the presence of German and British embassies were very close to each other and the attempts of the guards from the British embassy to use smoke bombs against the protesters was what provoked them. Despite that the protesters have avoided attacking the British embassy." The Sudanese Foreign Minister said that he does not accept or need to be reminded of the duties of his country in order to provide security and protection for the diplomats in Sudan. He added: "A number of Sudanese protesters have lost their lives, and more than 50 police officers on embassy protection duty were injured. He continued: “Britain is not part of what happened.”