Bahrain to name ambassador to Iraq

WARMING RELATIONS: Al-Khalifa (pictured) has said the Gulf state would appoint new ambassador to Iraq. (AFP)

Bahrain's Foreign Minister Khaled bin Ahmad Al-Khalifa said on Sunday the country is to appoint an ambassador to Iraq, days after US-ally the UAE announced a similar move.

"Bahrain is in the process of selecting an ambassador to assume this post," the minister was quoted as saying by state-run Bahrain News Agency (BNA), adding Manama had already selected a site in Baghdad for a new embassy.

He did not give a date for the return of the ambassador and said "security conditions in Iraq remained unstable".

The UAE on Thursday became the first US ally in the Gulf since the overthrow of Saddam Hussein in 2003 to announce it is to appoint an ambassador to Iraq, adding it would reopen the embassy in the coming days.

The Sunni-ruled Arab monarchies of the region have been reluctant to upgrade ties with Iraq, not just because of insecurity in the country but also because of its Shi'ite-led government's perceived tilt toward non-Arab Shi'ite Iran.

A US official said last week that Arab states have been encouraged by the recent crackdown on Shi'ite militias by Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki, and motivated by a need to check Iranian-backed power plays in Lebanon.

Washington has been pushing its Arab allies, notably regional heavyweight Saudi Arabia, to send ambassadors and high-level officials like trade ministers to Baghdad to help anchor volatile post-Saddam Iraq in the Arab world.

The US hopes that these countries will also offer financial support to Iraq and counterbalance the influence of Iran, which US President George W. Bush has accused of negative interference in Iraqi affairs.
In May, Jordan said it would also appoint an ambassador "in the coming days" while earlier in the month Egypt said it was ready to send a team to Baghdad to evaluate security conditions for opening an embassy.

Key US ally Saudi Arabia said in April it would reopen its embassy in Iraq only when security is restored.

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