Egypt to reopen embassy in Iraq

  1. Posted on Sunday 5 October 2008 - 15:00
    Dolphyne
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    Joseph Appiah-Dolphyne, AfricaNews editor in Accra, Ghana
    Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed, Aboul Gheit, has promised to reopen an embassy in Baghdad soon. He made an unannounced visit to Iraq on Sunday in a move to establish friendship. He was accompanied by Oil Minister, Sameh Fahmy, in the first high-level Egyptian delegation to that country since 2005.
    Egypt President Hosni Mubarrak
    Washington and Baghdad have long complained that other Arab states, mostly run by Sunni Muslims, have given the Shi'ite-led government in Baghdad the cold shoulder since the fall of Saddam Hussein, even as non-Arab Iran has increased its clout, Reuters reported.

    Gheit and Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshiyar Zebari told reporters at a news conference that Egypt would soon re-open its embassy in Baghdad, and that officials of both countries would hold meetings to further bolster ties.

    Egypt and Iraq also plan to cooperate in energy projects and exchange expertise, they said. No deals had been signed.

    "Iraq has passed through a difficult period and today we hope that we see Iraq outside this situation ... Egypt has a confirmed desire to build a strong and active Iraqi-Egyptian relationship," Gheit said.

    Iraq is hoping that a dramatic reduction in violence over the past 18 months will encourage a revival in diplomatic ties with its Middle Eastern neighbours.

    "Egypt's presence with us today, and it is the older sibling of all the Arab countries, will help Iraq and its government face many challenges," Zebari said.

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