Region | Egypt
Egypt names ambassador to Iraq after four-year hiatus
Egypt has appointed a new ambassador to Baghdad, ending a four-year hiatus after Cairo's chief ambassador in Iraq was kidnapped and killed by Al Qaida.
- AP
- Published: 16:57 June 16, 2009
Cairo: Egypt has appointed a new ambassador to Baghdad, ending a four-year hiatus after Cairo's chief ambassador in Iraq was kidnapped and killed by Al Qaida.
A foreign ministry spokesman said President Hosni Mubarak named career diplomat Sherif Kamal Chahine to the post. Chanine is currently Egypt's ambassador to Zambia.
It is not clear when he will assume his duties in Baghdad.
The spokesman, Hossam Zaki, said on Tuesday that the appointment seeks to restore "vitality and strength" of bilateral ties.
After the 2003 US-led invasion, the Iraqi government struggled to build ties with other Arab nations. Several have since named ambassadors to Baghdad, reflecting growing Arab acceptance of Iraq's Shiite-led government that also has close ties with Iran.
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