US VP urges Sudan to protect American embassy

WASHINGTON - American Vice-President Joe Biden on Friday called his Sudanese counterpart to express concern about the security of American embassy and other foreign missions in the country, as at least three people have died there in anti- American protests sparked by a US-made film that insults Prophet Mohammed.

In his phone conversation with Ali Osman Taha, Biden " reaffirmed the responsibility of the government of Sudan to protect diplomatic facilities and stressed the need for the government of Sudan to ensure the protection of diplomats in Khartoum," the White House said in a statement.

Biden also stressed that Washington places "the highest priority" on the safety of US personnel and diplomatic missions abroad, according to the statement.

The American embassy in Khartoum, the national capital of Sudan, had been heavily guarded by Sudanese security forces as well as US marines when protesters marched toward the mission on Friday afternoon. Three protesters died after being hit by a police vehicle as they attempted to reach the embassy.

Earlier in the day, Sudanese protesters tried to storm the embassy of Germany, and the British embassy also drew demonstrators.

The low-budget movie has provoked protests in a dozen of countries including Libya, where US Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans were killed after hundreds of angry protesters broke into and set ablaze the US consulate building in Benghazi, a city in eastern Libya.