Iraq appoints 43 new ambassadors
(Agencies)
Updated: 2004-07-20 08:48

Less than a month after regaining sovereignty from the U.S. occupation authority, Iraq on Monday announced the appointment of 43 new ambassadors in its first move to re-engage with the world.

The diplomats are to be sent to a wide range of countries across Europe, Africa and Asia, including most Arab nations, Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said. He declined to say which ambassadors would be sent to which countries.

Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari discusses new ambassadors and relations with neighboring nations during a press conference in Baghdad, Iraq, Monday, July 19, 2004. [AP]

"This is the first step in restoring Iraq's diplomatic representation," he said. "Iraq is an important country and needs to have as much diplomatic relations as possible with the world."

Many of the ambassadors will be appointed to the 31 Iraqi embassies around the world that are now closed, Zebari said. Others will open new embassies.

The list of ambassadors took six months to compile and was created with an eye toward competency and political considerations, he said, a difficult task in a country with deep ethnic and religious divides.

The list included only one woman. Another woman, Rend al-Rahim Francke, represents Iraq's interests in Washington, but she was not among those appointed Monday.

Zebari also named six ambassadors who will work in the foreign ministry.

Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, which cut ties with Iraq after it invaded Kuwait in 1990, were not on the list of countries receiving an ambassador. Zebari said Iraq had recently received "good and positive signs" that diplomatic ties would soon be resumed with those neighbors.

In addition to the Arab League and the Vatican, the appointments announced Monday were to Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Oman, Yemen, Egypt, Sudan, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, Turkey, Iran, Pakistan, Malaysia, Azerbaijan, Britain, Spain, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Sweden, Austria, Italy, Greece, Czech Republic, Romania, Bulgaria, Russia, Finland, Portugal, Switzerland, Poland, China, India, Japan, Australia, South Africa and Canada.

At the news conference, Zebari also criticized the United Nations, saying it was not living up to its commitment to help Iraq hold a national conference scheduled for this month and elections scheduled to be held by January.

"In these two areas, organizing a national conference and holding elections, we do need the support of the U.N.," he said. "We are a bit frustrated by the lack of speed by the United Nations in coming come to our aid and helping us in organizing and facilitating the convening of the national conference."

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