Britain Reopens Baghdad Embassy

Britain reopened what used to be its Baghdad embassy shortly after dawn, saying it was the first country that evacuated diplomats before the 1991 Gulf War to reestablish a permanent presence in post-Saddam Hussein Iraq.

The move was also significant because Britain was part of the U.S.-led coalition that ousted Saddam’s regime.

Christopher Segar, who helped close the British mission in 1991, heads the new office. However, he won’t be appointed ambassador and the mission will not be formally called an embassy until a new Iraqi government is in place.