The United Arab Emirates will appoint an ambassador to Iraq in the coming days, making it the first Arab country to restore a full diplomatic mission in Baghdad since the 2003 invasion.
The move, announced today, will be welcome news for the United States, which has been urging Iraq’s neighbours to rebuild relations with the war-weary country. Security fears and a lack of trust in the Shia-led Iraqi Government, however, have prompted many of the region’s Sunni-led states to hold back, keeping at most a diplomatic office in the Iraqi capital. Only Iran and Turkey have ambassadors.
Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the UAE Foreign Minister, travelled to Baghdad to make the announcement.
“We will hold talks to name the ambassador in the coming