Jordan king to visit Iraq 'soon'

ROYAL VISIT: Jordan's King Abdullah II plans to become the first Arab head of state to visit war-torn Iraq since the 2003 war. (Getty Images)

Jordan's King Abdullah II will visit Iraq soon, Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said on Wednesday, in what would be the first trip by an Arab head of state since the 2003 war.

No date has been set for the visit, which follow's Jordan's appointment of an ambassador to Baghdad on Monday, Zebari said at a press briefing.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and German Economy Minister Michael Glos are also expected to visit Iraq.

"These visits will take place soon," Zebari said, without providing further details.

Washington has been pushing its Arab allies, notably regional heavyweight Saudi Arabia, to send ambassadors and high-level officials to Baghdad to help shore up support for the country's Shi'ite leadership.

Jordan had announced on Monday it had appointed an ambassador to Iraq where its embassy has been run by a charge d'affaires since it came under a deadly attack in 2003.

"Nayef Zeidan, who has served as a consul in the UAE for two years, was sworn in today by King Abdullah II and will leave for Iraq as soon as possible," a foreign ministry spokesman said on Monday.

The move came after Baghdad agreed last month during a visit to Amman by Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki to to renew a 2006 deal to sell discounted oil to its neighbour, which relies on Iraq for most of its fuel needs.

Jordan has kept its embassy open in Baghdad even after the mission came under attack in August 2003, five months after the US-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein.

Jordan is currently sheltering hundreds of thousands of Iraqi refugees.

Last month, the UAE and Bahrain, both US allies, also announced plans to appoint ambassadors to Baghdad while Saudi Arabia said in April it would reopen its embassy in Iraq only when security is restored.

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.

The United States 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.

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