The following is a translation of a statement in German which was faxed to Reuters yesterday from the group which has occupied the Iraqi embassy in Berlin:
In the name of the Iraqi people and their legitimate leadership, the Iraqi opposition, we declare that the liberation of Iraqi soil begins today. We are taking over the Iraqi embassy in Berlin and with this the first step in the liberation of our beloved fatherland.
This first step against the terrorist regime of Saddam Hussein and his killers, which is taking place with a peaceful purpose, is intended to make the German people, its organisations and its political powers understand that our people have a desire to be free and will act on it.
The Germans understand our concerns. They were also once able to formulate the basis of democracy in the St Paul's church and they also suffered and bled under the dictatorship and tyranny of Hitler's National Socialists. These parallels unite democrats.
Our action is peaceful and temporary. Our path is the freedom of Baghdad. The path of peace and justice of our people and its legitimate leadership the Iraqi opposition, which stands determined and united here today.
Signed: Iraqi People's Representation, Riemeister Strasse 20, Berlin.