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| Arabia |
| Saudi Arabia: Team to visit Iraq next week about embassy [opening] |
| 2007-08-08 |
| Riyadh, 8 August (AKI/DAWN) - Saudi Arabia is sending a delegation to Iraq next week to explore the possibility of reopening the kingdom's embassy in Baghdad, Saudi foreign minister Prince Saud Faisal announced at a press conference in Jeddah on Tuesday. “A Saudi delegation will head to Iraq next week to look into when it would be possible to open an embassy in Iraq,” Prince Saud told reporters in Jeddah. “The Saudi Embassy will take care of the interests of both countries.” During the visit of US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice and defence secretary Robert Gates to Saudi Arabia last week, Saudi Arabia had consented to explore the possibility of opening an embassy in Baghdad. During the press conference, the Saudi foreign minister once again underlined the responsibility of the Iraqi government to achieve comprehensive national reconciliation for all Iraqis, adopt economic reform, provide security and services to all Iraqis and ensure equality among citizens whatever their beliefs, ethnicity and political affiliation. Saudi Arabia closed its embassy in Baghdad after Saddam Hussein's 1990 invasion of Kuwait. Saudi Arabia in recent months has kept a distance from the Iraqi government and Riyadh has been under increasing US pressure to support the incumbent, US-sponsored Maliki government in Baghdad. Interesting. It probably would have happened sooner without the Reid/Pelosi/Murtha "bug-out" contretemps. |
| Posted by:mrp |