Qatar Announce Historic Iraq Embassy Opening

By Simon Kent. 

Qatar's ruler, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, has announced the appointment of an Ambassador and the forthcoming opening of a Qatari embassy in Baghdad.

It is a sign of thawing relations between the GCC nation and Iraq, which deteriorated after Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1990.

Relations did not significantly improve after 2003, as former PM Nouri al Maliki previously accused Qatar of funding terrorism, an allegation which is still raw. Last week, Iraq withdrew its ambassador to Qatar over a conference hosting the former Iraqi Vice President, whom the Iraqis say is guilty of terrorism.

However, under Prime Minister Haidar al Abadi, a number of initiatives have been launched to rebuild relations with neighbouring countries, notably Turkey and the GCC nations. The Ambassador appointed is Zayed al-Khayareen.

(Source: Reuters)