New Egyptian ambassador arrives in Baghdad

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: Egypt’s new ambassador to Iraq Sherif Kamal Shahin arrived in Baghdad on Friday at the head of a diplomatic mission to embark on his tour of duty there, an Egyptian media source in Baghdad said. “The new headquarters of the Egyptian embassy will be composed of two buildings in the fortified green zone, one of them for administrative work and the other for the mission members’ residence,” the source told IraqiNews.com news agency. Upon the flight to Baghdad, Shahin said he was happy to get a diplomatic career in Iraq and that he highly respects and appreciates the Iraqi people. He said he is planning to resume the road walked by late Egyptian charge d’affaires Ihab al-Sherif as to open channels of liaison and activate bilateral cooperation between Egypt and Iraq. Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak had issued in June a decision appointing Shahin as Egypt’s ambassador to Iraq. Egypt had no diplomatic representation in Iraq since its charge d’affaires in Baghdad Sherif was kidnapped and killed in July 2005. AmR (S) 1