Iraqi diplomats in Beijing said they had received no word from Baghdad for 15 days, and were getting all their information from television news.

"There is no government. We are waiting for the new change," commercial counsellor Hussain Sarhan told AFP.

There are, so far, no reported requests for political asylum from Iraqi diplomats.

In Cairo, Saddam's portrait disappeared from the front of the Iraqi embassy building overnight. Egypt's foreign minister Ahmed Maher said that "there is an Iraqi government. I do not know where it is, but it is legally still in existance."

In at least two embassies, staff were seen shredding and burning documents.

The Iraqi flag continued to fly outside the mission in Tokyo, but there were 20 bags of shredded paper waiting to be picked up outside. A Japanese secretary inside the building maintained that nothing unusual was going on.

In Brasilia, Iraqi diplomats were seen burning documents in the embassy grounds, but no one within the heavily-guarded compound could be reached for comment.

The Iraqi representation in London -- the Iraqi Economic Interests Section since diplomatic ties were broken in 1991 -- was briefly occupied by celebrating Iraqi exiles on Wednesday, leading to 24 arrests.

Britain has a large Iraqi exile community, but it is unclear how they would get visas to return home, or whether they even need them.

"People want to go back now. They want to go next week," according to one community leader.

The Belgian foreign ministry said the Iraqi diplomats were in a diplomatic grey zone. "It's a new political situation because the regime has fallen and so the embassy cannot continue to function," a spokesman said, adding the ministry would consult with other European Union nations about how to react.

The Iraqi embassy in Berlin -- scene of a brief siege by Iraqi exiles in August 2002 -- was awaiting instructions from Baghdad as a crowd of Iraqis demonstrated outside.

In Moscow the ambassador was reportedly holding meetings, although no other details were available. For the first time on Thursday staff failed to give a daily press briefing, but an embassy spokesman told AFP by telephone: "I have a picture of Saddam Hussein hanging above me as we speak, and I have no plans to take it down."

A press spokesman in Paris said: "The charge d'affaires does not have enough detailed information from Baghdad to be able to comment."

In Amman, where the embassy was said to be under the protection of the Jordanian government, one Iraqi diplomat who requested anonymity said the staff had not heard from Baghdad for five days.

"We did not receive an official word from Baghdad and we hope to hear something tomorrow or the day after in order to decide what to do. Each one will decide for himself. I for one plan on going back to Iraq in a week," he said.

In Beirut, the Lebanese government said that the Iraqi embassy continued to function as the fall of the Iraqi government had "not yet been announced", according to a spokesman.

Iraqi embassies in Belgrade, Prague, Vienna, Budapest and Athens reported they were functioning normally but gave no other comment.

However a defiant Iraqi charge d'affaires in Dhaka hoped Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, whose fate remains unknown, was still alive and said US-led forces in his country would be defeated.

"Unless there is any impediment we will issue visas to those Bangladeshis willing to go to Iraq and fight against the aggressors," Adnan Hatab said.

But he seemed to be swimming against the tide. In Bangkok, third secretary Talal Waleed declared the war was over and said the embassy was operating as usual.

The Kuala Lumpur based embassy also continued to function normally, according to embassy official Raad Al-Mudars, who, when asked whether the mission was still loyal to Saddam, answered diplomatically: "We are loyal to Iraq."

SPACE.WIRE