Arab League
On July 31, 2008, the Arab League named a new envoy to Iraq. The former envoy resigned in January 2007 because of lack of involvement by Arab countries.
Bahrain
On July 8, Bahrain named an ambassador to Iraq. Agreements with the Iraqi government on the location of the embassy also have been reached.
Egypt
Egypt intends to send a team to Iraq soon to evaluate the security situation in hopes of appointing a new ambassador. In July 2005, Egypt’s previous top envoy, the first Arab diplomat appointed to Iraq since the fall of Saddam Hussein, was killed.
Jordan
On June 30, Jordan, which has a diplomatic mission in Iraq run by a charge d’affaires, named a new ambassador. King Abdullah of Jordan, who postponed a trip to Iraq in early July, previously assigned an ambassador in August 2006, but security concerns did not allow him to fulfill his duties. Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki visited Jordan in June 2008 to discuss oil, security and refugee issues. According to the Norway-based FAFO Institute, as of May 2007, 450,000-500,000 Iraqi refugees reside in Jordan, though the exact numbers are in dispute.
Kuwait
On July 17, citing improving security, Kuwait named an ambassador to Iraq for the first time since 1991. At a U.N. conference in May, Kuwait insisted that Iraq repay its $15 billion debt. The two countries re-established ties in 2003 that had been cut after Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait in 1991.
Iran
Iran was the first neighboring country to send a delegation to meet with the Iraqi government in 2003 and was the only neighbor to have an ambassador in Iraq as of May 2008. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad visited Baghdad in March, becoming the first Iranian leader to do so since the Iranian revolution in 1979. He announced a $1 billion loan to help rebuild Iraq. Iran also continues to be one of Iraq’s largest trading partners, with Iranian exports exceeding $1.8 billion in 2006. Having already signed agreements on transportation and energy trade in 2005, new agreements on transportation, education and economic issues were reached in the March 2008 meetings. Iranians have also been smuggling weapons and fighters into Iraq.
Saudi Arabia
In January 2008, Prince Saud al-Faisal said that a new ambassador had been selected and an embassy would open in “the next few months,” despite Saudi Arabia having made a similar promise in 2007. In May 2008, Saudi Arabia indicated its willingness to ease Iraq’s debt to Riyadh although it has not followed up on a 2007 pledge to forgive 80 percent of that debt.
Syria
Iraq and Syria reopened embassies in 2006, following Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem’s visit to Baghdad. The countries have yet to name ambassadors. The countries’ relations remain strained over accusations Syria does not protect its borders from the crossing of militants. In November 2007, the two countries signed agreements to increase border security and discussed Iraqi refugees in Syria. UNHCR and the Syrian government place the number of Iraqi refugees in Syria at 1.5 million, though there is disagreement about exact numbers.
Turkey
On July 10, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan became the first Turkish leader to visit Iraq in 18 years. Both Maliki and Erdogan agreed to meet at least annually and pledged to strengthen bilateral trade ties. On July 28, Turkey bombed Kurdish rebel targets in northern Iraq after landmines killed three Turkish civilians, the most recent manifestation of tensions between the two countries over cross-border PKK attacks. In May 2008, a Turkish delegation met with Kurdistan Regional Government Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani and discussed political, security and economic issues. According to Barzani, Turkey has already invested $8 billion in Iraqi Kurdistan.
United Arab Emirates
Following a visit by Maliki to the UAE in July, the government in Abu Dhabi named a new ambassador to Iraq and canceled $7 billion of Iraqi debt. In June, the Emirati foreign minister met with Iraqi officials, becoming the first Gulf foreign minister to travel to Baghdad since the ousting of Saddam Hussein. The UAE had withdrawn its charge d’ affaires in May 2006 after one of its diplomats was kidnapped and later released.
