Sweden slams Guatemala over 'unfortunate' ambassador withdrawal

Sweden today criticised Guatemala for asking Stockholm to recall its ambassador who was accused of interfering in the Central American nation's internal affairs and warned it could take action.

"This is very unfortunate. We are now going to seek further explanation from the Guatemalan Government and then decide on a course of action," Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom said in a statement.

Guatemala's government said in a statement on Thursday that it had asked Sweden and Venezuela to withdraw their respective ambassadors Anders Kompass and Elena Alicia Salcedo Poleo, accusing them of "interfering in the internal affairs" of the country.

Sweden is one the largest supporters of the UN-backed International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG), which was founded in 2006 to tackle corruption and organised crime.

"Sweden's views and action on issues regarding human rights and anti-corruption are well known," Wallstrom said without specifying further.

"In this case, as in other similar cases, the Government will keep its comments to a minimum," she added.

Guatemala said the move did not mean anyone was declared non grata and that it was expecting Sweden and Venezuela to propose new candidates.

Kompass has 30 days to return to Sweden, a Swedish foreign ministry spokeswoman told AFP.

The 62-year-old became widely known as a UN whistleblower who was suspended in 2015 for leaking a report to France about child abuse by French peacekeepers in the Central African Republic.

He resigned from his position as the director of field operations for the UN human rights office (OHCHR) the following year over the organisation's failure to hold senior officials to account.

Kompass was appointed as Swedish ambassador to Guatemala in the fall of 2017.

Guatemala's President Jimmy Morales had initially decided to not approve Kompass as an ambassador, sources told Swedish Radio.