The new Jordanian ambassador to Baghdad took up his post on Thursday, the Iraqi foreign ministry said, becoming the highest-ranking diplomat from Amman to be based in Baghdad since 2003. Nayef Zeidan arrived in Baghdad and presented his credentials to Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari, a ministry official told AFP.
Zeidan's appointment to Baghdad is the first of an ambassador since its mission came under attack five years ago. Jordan kept its embassy in Baghdad open after the attack but the mission was downgraded to the level of charge d'affaires.
Earlier this year, the kingdom stated that it would designate the new ambassador to Iraq, while King Abdullah II in August became the first Arab head of state to visit since the US-led invasion of 2003.
It should be noted that Syria's first ambassador to Iraq in 26 years also began work in the Iraqi capital this week.
