M A I N   N E W S

India reopens Embassy in Iraq

New Delhi, April 20
India has reopened its Embassy in war-ravaged Iraq, with Mr M.C. Pandey, First Secretary in the Mission, taking over as the Charge d’ Affaires, informed sources said tonight.

Mr Pandey, who along with other Indian personnel, left Iraq for Jordan on March 16 shortly before the US-led war on Iraq started, reached Baghdad yesterday, they said.

The Indian Embassy, located in the heart of Baghdad, did not suffer damage in the relentless bombing by the US-led forces, the sources said.

With the focus now shifting to the reconstruction of Iraq, India had decided to appoint a Charge d’Affaires in Baghdad to monitor the ground situation and to provide much-needed humanitarian aid.

India’s Ambassador to Iraq, Mr B.B. Tyagi, camping in Jordan because of the war, was expected to come back to New Delhi for consultations, the sources said. PTI